Courage

Courage is to stand up tall for yourself
despite the haters and hecklers that try to pull you down
with their weights of negative looks and words.
Lift it up. Make it an exercise to become stronger.
Be the tower, the lighthouse you would like to see shining.

Courage is to be yourself,
wholly, fully,
with your seeming flaws and your incredible brilliance.
What a daunting and yet powerful act,
to be in peace with who you are.
And we need you as who you are.
Your gift of your presence is important
for this world to be unfolded.

Courage is to accept and express your feelings.
There is not a better or worse
when it comes to emotions.
We freely express happiness and joy.
The same could be true for sadness and anger,
instead of keeping them in a cage
that is labelled as “weak” or “inappropriate”.

Courage is to be vulnerable.
To open up,
to unfold in front of others,
to share my inner self,
to tell my story of who I am with all my heart.
And by this
let others see the real me.
And by this
be a mirror for them.

Courage is to be scared to fall
and not to be ready to rise.
Your fear might be legitimate
and you are not ready.
Be courageous,

RISE any way.

- Robert Eckstein