I was an undergraduate and the new chair of the IEEE student branch there. I was supposed to have a slot during a faculty meeting to discuss the branch and the programs we ran. I had prepared for the meeting, but I found out last minute that they had cancelled my portion of it. I decided to show up anyways, because I felt the need to ensure that I've done all I can to represent the group that I've been entrusted to lead.

The courage to be human is the courage to be humble

You will never, ever find, in historic or present times, even one example of a leader who controlled every aspect of the environment

there’s always a 100 percent possibility of success. It’s not about failing or succeeding. It’s about doing

those who make things happen and those who wonder what happened. Leaders have the ability to make things happen

We can only make a difference when we take stands. Every one of us is capable of taking stands on things that matter

Courage is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible.

Failure is always an option when we want to change the way things are. There is no success without failure, and no learning without mistakes

Courage, as it turns out, is more common than you might think, is something that everyone has, and it manifests itself daily. It may be precious, but it is not rare.

Courage required making a choice in the face of adversity.

But acknowledging our fears, being appropriately confident that we can handle the situation, and taking initiative despite our fears can be an act of courage

So what did we discover? The single most important and striking point was this: Every single person we interviewed had a story to tell. Everyone we interviewed could recall an experience that required summoning up courage.

Courage is the virtue that’s needed if we’re truly going to transform our lives. Courage is the virtue that’s needed if we’re going to enact anything that is significantly important to us.

You Can’t Plan to Be Courageous, But You Can Choose It

The practical application is to open people up to having the conversation. The action step should be to interview other people about courage in their life.

Moments of courage are moments of truth. They are those critical incidents in our lives when we come face-to-face with who we are and what we are made of

When you step into the zone of courage you’re exposed. You’re hanging out there. You’re not playing it safe. The consequences can be severe, or at least they feel that way at the time

Engaging in conversations about your own and others’ life struggles is one crucial way to begin preparing for that choice

Yet most of us want more from life than security and comfort. We also want a life full of meaning and significance. We want a life that matters, a life that makes some kind of difference to our family and friends, and even possibly to our organizations, our communities, and our world.

Courageous acts flow from a commitment to deeply held beliefs—you just can’t separate the two.