May I Have The Courage I Need Today

I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite writers, John O’Donohue, and offer some reflections. 

May I have the courage today

To live the life that I would love,

To postpone my dream no longer

But do at last what I came here for

And waste my heart on fear no more. 

May I have the courage today … each day we need some courage. Some days require us to dig deeper and draw on our courage even when we don’t know if we have it. Sometimes we surprise even ourselves. Other times we are grateful for others to come alongside us and help us through. 

To live the life that I would love … we all have some vision of the life we would love to live. Some of us are fortunate to be living that life. For others of us it is a life-long pursuit. And maybe that’s okay. Ideally we strike a balance between being grateful for each day of life exactly as it is and continuing to grow and challenge ourselves to be just a bit better than the day before. 

To postpone my dream no longer … you’ve been holding back. Maybe because you had some responsibility to tend to first or you wanted to complete some project or milestone. Or maybe you haven’t pursued that dream because of fear or doubt. 

But do at last what I came here for … now is the time. No more excuses. You know you now need to make your move, to do what your heart, your soul, your true self, your inner wisdom – that still small voice - has been nudging, calling, maybe even pleading for you to do. 

And waste my heart on fear no more … you’re ready. That fear may still be there but your courage has risen to the occasion. Courage – taking action in the face of fear.

May you have the courage today … to love, to leap, to stay, to do the right thing, to have the hard conversation, to move forward to what is next, to forgive yourself and others. 

May we all have the courage that is required of us today.