Lots of people think being courageous is about throwing yourself into a larger-than-life mission, transcending the limits of your humanity to perform superhuman feats of strength or intellect.
But the most important kind of courage isn’t found in extraordinary situations. It’s found in ordinary ones – the everyday moments that slip by without us even noticing.
The moment you resist grabbing a candy bar in the checkout aisle…
… the moment you decide to finish your college degree…
… the moment you submit the application for your dream job…
… the moment you smile at the cutie in the coffee shop…
… the moment you apologize for a simple mistake…
… the moment you forgive someone who never bothered to apologize…
… the moment you ask for help…
… the moment you decide to give help to someone you know doesn’t deserve it.
It’s in these moments, these everyday moments, that true courage is found.
It’s not flashy or glorious. There’s no applause. No one gives you an award or puts you on the cover of a magazine. Hell, there’s a good chance nobody will even notice.
And yet… it doesn’t matter.
The difference between a coward and a hero isn’t a grand mission or a large crowd; it’s the recognition that the small moments matter. By being courageous with the insignificant choices in life, you build the strength you’ll need to face the enormous ones, to do the great and extraordinary things people will remember forever, to change the world in wondrous ways.
The opposite is also true. To expect yourself to make a big leap of courage without having made dozens or even hundreds of small ones isn’t just unrealistic but also strangely cruel.
No one is that strong. Not even the greatest heroes who walked the earth were born that way. They built their courage one tiny, insignificant choice at a time, growing it like a muscle over years or even decades, slowly becoming a person who could face anything that challenged them.
You can too. You just have to realize every choice matters – yes, every choice – for it’s in those everyday choices that courage is grown and heroes are formed.
So, choose wisely, my friend. The future is counting on you.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:09 pm
A short, but deep, look at the subject. Thanks Jon!
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:19 pm
Thanks Bill!
Jun 26, 2018 @ 7:32 pm
Jon I find your writing very inspirational and educational. You’re right that every small decision adds up to one large one, that will eventually change your life for the better. That’s if you’re making positive choices.
Thank you Jon
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:11 pm
True stuff, Jon! “…he who is faithful with little will be faithful with much…”
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:19 pm
Amen, sister.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:24 pm
You’re right! The small stuff defines our path in life. If we can’t handle the small stuff, how can we ever handle the big stuff?
Loved this post. Nice return to form. It’s been too long 😉
Already highly anticipating the next one!
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:42 pm
Thanks Blake.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:28 pm
Good stuff, Jon. Thank you for the reminder.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:36 pm
Thanks for this reminder, Jon. In recent years I’ve had to do big courageous things, but now am faced with many small (but mighty) challenges. They seem to be taking more courage than the big stuff. But I need these small steps more than ever, and they seem more scary than the big ones. I’ll keep taking them and hear you reminding me of their importance.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
I’d be curious to hear what kind of challenges you’re talking about.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:39 pm
Your a really great writer Jon, seperate and in addition from your insight and wisdom.
More please.
Josh Wakely.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
Thanks Josh. More coming soon.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:39 pm
I try and follow E. Tolle’s ideas of “Successive Moments of Now” and its tuff to really get it, but your ideas
presented here made me stop and think of it more clearly. ” Seeing Courage In The Blink of A Moment”.
Thanks Jon
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:45 pm
Yeah, E. Tolle confuses pretty much everybody, I think. Including me. 🙂
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:39 pm
Thanks for this Jon.
Really needed it today.
It’s so true. The small things we do everyday prepare us for those big moments.
It’s like training for a sport. You can’t expect to show up and be world champion on day 1.
It takes lots of time and commitment.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:46 pm
Yep. It’s the sport of life, my friend. Greatest sport there is. 🙂
Nov 12, 2017 @ 5:18 pm
Jon, you already have one: “The sport of life, the greatest sport there is.”
love to hear your take on this.
And as for this post, as always, inspiring an insightful.
One of the things I like to do every morning is ask myself, “Who can I help someone today?” And the help I’m talking about is simple easy-n-fun, from a simple compliment to letting someone else go first at the intersection.
But I love the “extras” that I can add to my day.
Cheers.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
Thanks for the rare short message and encouragement. Its been awhile here… Pls don’t keep waiting for too long for another wonderful post.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
Thanks Uthman! I’ll try to be faster next time.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
Apologies Jon, the above post was meant to be here.
Also, just exercising my courage in embarrassment. 🙂
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
Brilliant…”The difference between a coward and a hero isn’t a grand mission or a large crowd; it’s the recognition that the small moments matter. “
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:55 pm
Thanks, Jon. I need to begin walking several times a week. My first small step was to buy breathable socks. The second was to buy breathable shoes. The next happens tomorrow morning when I put them on and do a short walk. I am blessed to be able to make these purchases and to be able to walk for my future.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:00 pm
Go for it! You’re two thirds of the way there already. 🙂
Nov 12, 2017 @ 3:56 pm
I nearly deleted this without reading it, I’m really glad I didn’t, a great post Jon, thanks a lot.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:01 pm
Ha, victory!
Nov 12, 2017 @ 4:03 pm
Love it, Jon. This is one to read again.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:01 pm
Thanks Leanne. 🙂
Nov 12, 2017 @ 4:28 pm
Thank you very much for the insight.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of such things.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:02 pm
Most welcome, Milca.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 8:11 pm
Thank you Jon. You words are always helpful.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 4:34 pm
Thank you for these encouraging words.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:02 pm
Most welcome, Julie.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 4:48 pm
Awesomely expressed. Thank you for this great reminder.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:02 pm
Thank YOU, Naomi.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 4:55 pm
great article – please keep them coming !!!
Nov 12, 2017 @ 5:31 pm
I agree with you, Jon. But I would go further.
People who choose to grandstand are often rewarded while those who choose to do the menial work are punished. To struggle while punished by social pressures takes courage.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 6:04 pm
Loved this. Thanks so much. Will share this with my grandson.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 6:19 pm
Excited to see you writing here again, Jon! Love this post so much, in every way the small choices we make each day matter the most <3
Nov 12, 2017 @ 6:20 pm
Thank you Jon…
Nov 12, 2017 @ 6:51 pm
Hi Jon, I like the concept of growing courage like a muscle. I have been taking (courageous) baby steps to further my writing career this year. At the same time I have been trying to focus on my health and fitness, going to boot camp several times a week. I have noticed my muscles developing in both areas and, looking back, my baby steps seem like great giant strides when I see how far I’ve come. Sometimes I have taken a few steps backwards, but I’ve found the courage to keep going when it really mattered. Thanks for your continued inspiration.
Cheers, Mel
Nov 12, 2017 @ 7:07 pm
I’m inspired, Jon.
From this post, I realize being courageous does bring healing to many. And that’s what most people need right now in life. It’s a give and take thing to do. I heal others and I get healed doing that.
Thanks for sharing, sir.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 8:41 pm
Sometimes you realize, looking back on a situation, that there was–for you–no other choice but the one you took because you were meant to take it, and your life began to change from that point. A new direction began in a tiny decision to take a different choice from your usual. You would not even have predicted it when you got up that morning because your mind was on what you had to do, not on what you might do. These moments become profound in their cumulative impact. To me, that’s what you were saying.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 8:46 pm
Life’s biggest battles are fought daily in silent chambers of the soul. And that courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it’s the quiet voice at the end of a day that says ; I’ll try again tomorrow.
Good reminder John.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 11:06 pm
I was going to complement you on how poetic that is until I realized it’s a mashup of quotes from Mary Anne Radmacher and David O. McKay.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 2:42 am
Your reply is a compliment.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 8:49 pm
Thanks for this, Jon.
I’m in my first semester of law school. This was just what I needed to hear.
Cheers to you, mate.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 9:01 pm
Another fantastic post, Jon! 🙂
Being courageous is all about being willing to show up, get uncomfortable and be vulnerable.
Nov 12, 2017 @ 9:57 pm
It’s a pleasure to read you again Jon.
When you write “one tiny, insignificant choice at a time” surely you don’t see it like that.
I don’t believe any choice or any action we choose to take in pursuit of our wants and needs is insignificant. We’re all fortunate to have the ability to choose. And we’re all making progress no matter the size of our steps. And like you, we’re living in the moment and making wonderful progress.
I so enjoyed reading this short but very flavoursome blog. Don’t be too long away. So, so many of us enjoy the value we get from your posts and this is no exception.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 1:26 am
True that.
Courage is the not the absence of fear. It is the guts to go on and do things even when you are fearful, shy and vulnerable.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 2:37 am
Thanks, Jon. Just what I needed to hear. It’s not the big leaps but the everyday choices.
Don’t take too long to send out another post. Keep them coming, they’re too valuable.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 4:10 am
Hi John
It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of reading your writing. I’m teaching 6th grade in Cairo Egypt right now, and I used this short post as a writing prompt. We are studying Greek myths and heroes. It generated some excellent discussion, in addition to resonating with me personally. Thank you, as always, for being you.
Sophia
Nov 13, 2017 @ 4:51 am
Truth told, time has us.We’re all 1099 contractors to life; and our contract is going to be up, long before we’re ready for it to be.
Count on courage.
There’s not one single power in this entire universe that can guarantee you’ll wake up tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing this powerful post about courage Jon…
Nov 13, 2017 @ 11:12 am
Thank you very much Jon for reminding us, again that life is all about small courageous steps.
Simplicity (small steps of courage) is most powerful and life changing.
Waiting for upcoming blogs.
Warmest Regards Jon 😉
Nov 13, 2017 @ 11:33 am
Jon the courage to write everyday has improved my writing signicantly. I am not where I ought to be yet but I guess writing is a never ending journey that takes from pain to queen.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 1:57 pm
Thanks Jon, those decisions, those opportunities for courage never stop coming. If we mess up, another quickly come along. For those who bite off too much and fail, life brings new chances. The trick is moving on -either way. A hero doesn’t bask in his or her hero ness, they keep making small right decisions. Here’s to all of us to choose we’ll.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 1:58 pm
An act of kindness today can lead to an act of heroism one hundred years from now.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 2:50 pm
There is a big gap nowadays on that concept Jon, and you got it just right. Excelent text again, will be waiting for the next ones.
Nov 13, 2017 @ 3:15 pm
I’m really interested in the minimum effective dose and your article sets out a similar scenario applied to courage. Practising in small doses leads to great results. Thanks Jon
Nov 13, 2017 @ 8:14 pm
What are the chances of finding this post the day it was published, while wrapping up my post on speaking confidence?
Some believe courage is a precursor for confidence.
Coincidence? Divine empathy?
~Keri
Nov 14, 2017 @ 7:11 pm
So brief and precise as its addresses all it takes to be courageous. We will continue to wait for your next post. Thanks
Nov 14, 2017 @ 10:58 pm
Nice post Jon. Very inspiring. I’ll be needing the same courage in writing my first ( and not the last) blog. I am looking forward for more of your inspiring posts.
God bless,
Rommel
Nov 16, 2017 @ 9:42 am
I want to change the world and help as many people as possible. Courage means I do small steps to achieve that, such as being kind to my neighbor or a stranger. Then I can move on to bigger things 🙂
Nov 16, 2017 @ 6:48 pm
This list dropped into my inbox on a day I needed a lot of courage. When I saw it, I was overwhelmed and left it a few days before actually clicking to read the article and I’m so glad I did! Thanks Jon for such a succinct write up on what it means to be courageous!
Nov 16, 2017 @ 7:51 pm
I love your work Jon. I always look forward to your posts. Always such wise words.
Nov 22, 2017 @ 6:18 am
This post constantly whispers to me through out the day — THANK YOU.
Dec 4, 2017 @ 11:05 am
Thanks Jon for the affirmation that I am on the right track. For me courage is ignoring the negative thoughts in my head and the people who agree with them.
Feb 28, 2018 @ 2:16 am
I love your statement,Joel. I’d like to use it–may I?
Dec 18, 2017 @ 1:31 pm
I love your work Jon. I always read your post. You write deep. I really like this.
Feb 3, 2018 @ 4:47 pm
Outstanding Jon. I absolutely agree with you. It is often the smaller things that are remembered and mean alot.
Take Anne Sullivan for example, her teachings helped one of the greats Helen Keller who touched many lives. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe that Anne was as well known in her time as Helen Keller. Both actually working together touched many many lives though.
Then take Aretha Williams Robinson, the mother of Ray Charles, and how she pushed her son to learn independence despite his disability. Well, how many lives wouldn’t have been touched if she hadn’t helped him like that? It takes great courage to watch your child in pain and trust that they will learn themselves to keep going.
Touching others due to a disability wasn’t his goal though. His goal was just to be treated normally, to live and that I find absolutely amazing.
Can you imagine a world where everyone had the ability to treat everyone the same despite our differences?
Your writing is absolutely amazing Jon. Thank you so much for sharing with others. Again, I believe that you’re absolutely right about smaller steps being meaningful. I also believe that larger steps can also be meaningful and even if others are scared for you, sometimes the only way to live life is to go on despite that. To take that larger step and not let fear hold you back. Fear often only keeps people in a prison away from life.That too can be hugely dangerous!
Taking those larger steps without having taken the smaller ones though is also hugely dangerous. Sometimes cruel behaviour, etc. ends up leading you to greatness that can help thousands and touch lives. That is worth living for or at least I think it is!
May everyone learn that and follow the steps meant for them without fear. May we help others to have the freedom of doing just that, because what were we borne for if not to help one another and live.
Again beautiful writing. 🙂 You are a inspiration!
Feb 28, 2018 @ 2:01 am
Thanks you Jon Morrow!
This post is very inspiring.
Every day you have a nice moment.
Apr 3, 2018 @ 6:45 am
This is a really helpful post. Thank you Jon!
May 6, 2018 @ 1:33 pm
Thanks for this courageous piece of content. This has actually shown me that in life courage is not by diving into dangers
Aug 22, 2018 @ 1:22 pm
This list dropped into my inbox on a day I needed a lot of courage. When I saw it, I was overwhelmed and left it a few days before actually clicking to read the article and I’m so glad I did
Oct 27, 2018 @ 5:24 pm
Jon,
These are hundreds of thousands of heroes who do their best to survive.
Who cares?
If they didn’t reach a good rate in the society, they just stay human beings for other people.
Their live stories aren’t interested to people at all.
Jan 4, 2019 @ 5:01 pm
Hi Jon,
Yet another inspirational post.
Indeed this will give a boost to the people who are down.
It really encouraged me a lot as I bookmark this to read every now and then.
May you write more such pieces for the encouragement of like-minded people
Wish you all the best
With kind regards
~ Phil
Jan 8, 2019 @ 10:45 pm
This article is too short but too deep. Thx Mr John.
Im from indonesia and i cant speak english well.
But i die hard to translate your article cz you gimmi a lot of inspiration.
Feb 5, 2019 @ 5:10 pm
I signed up for your email when I wanted access to one of your freebies. I get hundreds of emails to my inbox from all the things I sign up for but I never open them anymore. Mostly because I find the things they say you’ll get aren’t really worth the trouble. But today I opened your email and watched your video and it brought me to tears. I downloaded the roadmap to monetize your blog and it was JUST what I needed…it was actually exactly what you said it would be….so i followed you on Twitter and came across this article and it struck a cord. I teared up. AGAIN! Just know you are a beautiful soul and you are inspiring beyond words!
Feb 6, 2019 @ 10:47 am
Jon, you’re enough lucky. Yes, you’re! It’s nice that you can courage people to get up. People like to see a real successful person and his/her true story. Yeap, you do courage them to reach their goals. They see if you can do it with your physical handicap, why they’re still unable to do it too. You re-charge their minds.
I’m in your shoes; my broken body is my personal jail – you know how it’s. My poor country is a poison for millions of people. I’d like to leave this hell ASAP – my dream LOL. But a cripple without money isn’t welcome anywhere else (law of life) you know it too well.
Jon, please, give me a chance, if you’re going to translate your pieces into the Russian or the Ukrainian languages.
p.s. Our mothers are really daily heroes who never give up.
Mar 6, 2019 @ 10:18 am
This is a great message indeed on the importance of courage even if it’s a small amount. I always reference a quote from the movie We Bought A Zoo that discusses courage…”You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” It’s very true. Sometimes you don’t know until you take a shot.
Apr 2, 2019 @ 10:26 am
You are so right!
Now I’m taking all my courage to write you, although my English is not perfect. I love your blog, it’s so inspiring, full of good taste and style.
Apr 8, 2019 @ 5:51 am
Thanks a lot for reminding us that without the small victories, the big ones will elude us.
Apr 10, 2019 @ 7:33 am
Kudos to Jon, your work is remarkable and I’m truly inspired.
Apr 10, 2019 @ 7:35 am
Kudos to Jon, your work is remarkable and I’m truly inspired. Excited to read more posts. Thanks a lot Jon.
Apr 17, 2019 @ 11:46 pm
list dropped into my inbox on a day I needed a lot of courage. When I saw it, I was overwhelmed and left it a few days before actually clicking to read the article and I’m so glad I did.
May 3, 2019 @ 12:05 am
The moment one forgive someone who doesn’t bother to apologize or seek for help from someone else is really courageous. This is one of the shortest things I’ve read from Jon. Thanks
May 11, 2019 @ 1:28 am
Love this Jon. The compound interest of seemingly insignificant decisions over time can have a profound effect. Using small, daily actions and rituals we can make massive transitions.
May 22, 2019 @ 8:59 am
I Loved this….. Thanks….i Will share this with my granddaughter
May 26, 2019 @ 11:25 am
It’s a pleasure to read you again Jon.