The Courage Switch - Doing What Is Right For You

Have you ever doubted yourself and your capacity to do something? It could be something as simple, on face value, as making a phone call or buying groceries to something more daunting like applying for that job you have been keeping your eyes on or finally saying no to that thing.

And then after some time, you finally do it?

When you finally make that decision whether it’s a straightforward task or a more challenging one, that’s your Courage Switch being turned on. However, the journey to taking the leap is often fraught with fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

What is the Courage Switch?

As you may have already presumed, the Courage Switch is not a real three-dimensional switch. Rather it is a metaphor for acts that require courage, usually a lot. Some of these things could be the following.

Sometimes the fear of the unknown, the uncertainty, all those what ifs appears much more appealing than stepping out and accepting the scary feelings. Accepting is not seeing it in a defeatist view but in a way that says, “I’m okay with how things are at this moment. I understand breaking out of the mould can be a scary thing because of the uncertainty”. When we feel the most resistance to something that is usually a sign something it not right for you.

Switching Career Paths

One of the times my Courage Switch took a long time to be flicked on was when I was debating whether to quit my PhD.

Since high school and throughout my undergraduate studies, my sole focus was to become a medical researcher. And so, all my subjects and extracurricular activities were based on building up my research skills in and out of the lab to become a researcher.

After a four year undergraduate course, Honours and six months into my PhD I had doubts. Huge doubts about whether this was the right thing for a long term career. Doubt was sown with my exposure to mentoring students and engaging in outreach education, which clearly highlighted my passion to help people in a more direct way.

After pondering, many doubts, a lot of journaling, writing values lists, creating pros and cons tables and crying, I said no thank-you to the PhD and hello to physiotherapy.

Once the Courage Switch had been flicked on, it felt GREAT. It was also tinged with regret because I felt like I had invested all this time and effort to become a researcher. And now, it felt wasted. However, retrospect shows me that there are a lot of transferable skills between areas and I am so grateful to have had exposure to innovative, creative and inquiring minds in the science field and the grasp of being able to interpret biomedical literature.

Flicking the Courage Switch is challenging

Quitting something you have been invested in is hard because you feel like you have given A LOT to something, you feel like you have wasted your time or maybe even other people’s time by quitting. You might feel like you are letting people down and you are not treading that ‘perfect’ path you envisioned.

So, if you are thinking about leaving something, take your time until it feels right for you. And, remember, your experiences of the past are never wasted, rather they help inform your choices for a future you want to have and the life you want to lead. One that aligns with your values and needs as a person.

The Courage Switch is a switch only you can turn on but remember too, there is a group of people behind you supporting you through the steps you need to take before you can press your Courage Switch. These people might be close friends, your partner, family (sometimes not though), mentor or sometimes it’s a random person you meet who shares their own story which aligns with your situation. These people behind you, your tribe, keep you sane and hold your hand whilst you go through your journey to press the Courage Switch.

Lean on them, be kind to yourself as you work your way to pressing your Courage Button.