When you hear the word “Lion”, what comes to mind?  Perhaps “The King of the Jungle” or a simple, pure act of bravery. Lions are known to be the most fearless, primal animals ever to exist who are primed to overcome fear. They aren’t afraid to go after what they want when they want, and they’re bold enough to protect and fight for their life and the lives of others. 

Bravery is a quality many people lack as we become increasingly consumed by fear and victimization. Countless times, we’ve let ourselves down by surrendering to our fears, rather than taking steps that could lead to a more fulfilling and impactful existence. 

Even though we might find ourselves in this situation, we don’t have to continue down this path. Bravery and overcoming fear are skills that can be learned, as it all stems from how we handle our emotions. When acting with bravery, we must stop seeing uncomfortable feelings as obstacles to action, and instead move forward into life even when we experience fear, worry, guilt, or shame.

What does it mean to have “coward” qualities?

There are a variety of qualities that suggest cowardice. The most evident, however, is seen in one’s conduct. Wherever there is a situation that requires us to take action, we choose to do nothing. This is a reflection of avoidance, no response, “analysis paralysis”, or insecurity. We may attempt to come up with reasons and justifications for not taking action, however, this usually shows that you choose to dismiss your desires rather than face them head-on. 

We may also show cowardly behavior when it comes to avoiding having tough conversations, whether it be the honest conversations we must have with ourselves or with others. When it’s time to have a conversation, we dodge the matter, change the subject, or act with forced indifference to the situation. When we deflect the matter at hand, we cannot address the issue, which leaves it unresolved. 

Lastly, there is the emotional coward. They prefer to be emotionless so that they don’t have to suffer through how they are feeling deep down. The emotional coward sees emotions as complicated, so their response is to shut them down completely. They tend to run from fear, grief, or love and lack empathy or compassion for others. This may be due to prior relationships where they were hurt, childhood trauma, or unpleasant experiences as an adult that causes them to shut down any emotion trying to come to the surface. 

When they shut down their emotions, others find it extremely difficult to relate to them, or healthily communicate with them. When it comes to overcoming fear in these situations, these people are known to be avoidant. 

Why do individuals act in a cowardly manner?

Whether we are cowards ourselves or know someone who is, the emotion of cowardice may cause confusion, disillusionment, and even rage in those who have to suffer at the hand of it. 

Fear is a universal feeling that affects everyone with a pulse. On the other hand, cowardice is a state of mind — one we choose when confronted with fear. However, just as lions do, we can act in the face of adversity by overcoming fear. We can develop a range of skills and strategies to solve issues, develop alternatives, and influence behavior that allows us to behave in a more balanced manner. 

Conquering fear and adversity

Your self-confidence should be high enough to inspire you to strive for excellence in your life. It’s possible to transform your timidness into feelings of tremendous confidence. It can be hugely beneficial when you practice the below 3 habits and behaviors that can propel you forward into overcoming fear and moving through adversity.

• Keep action-taking simple

Each morning, begin by envisioning a binary task that is yet to be completed. If we consider a job binary in nature, it only has two possible outcomes: finished or incomplete. Instill confidence in your daily routine and life, by thinking of anything as a binary task, keeping it simple in a way that speaks to your logical mind. 

This teaches your brain to overcome its natural fear of failing and encourages you to go for it, even when the route ahead seems ripe for failure. This could be a task such as saying “hello” to someone in the adjacent cubicle, finding the courage to ask the woman you fancy out on a date, or completing an overdue work report.

2. Decide to be optimistic

If you accept responsibility for how you react to life’s challenges, you can remain optimistic even when the world around you seems bleak and hopeless. Even the most challenging moments can be viewed as blessings in disguise, or a valuable lesson to be learned.

Choosing to maintain a pleasant emotional environment can assist you in maintaining a better level of self-confidence over time. You can easily lose your ability to stay focused when you’re not in a pleasant emotional state. As a result, you may get easily irritated and become less capable of coping with people and situations in your environment, causing more friction in your life than necessary.

3. Practice empathy

The more we use empathy to understand and relate to others, the better our chances of getting things done. We don’t have to agree with others, but we must understand that their feelings are valid and acceptable. In doing so, we can work together to leverage each other’s strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes without making anyone feel “wrong” for how they feel.  

If we want to become one of few who can genuinely push past our fears to achieve our greatest desires, we must be willing to experiment with taking bold steps rather than small steps. By overcoming cowardly behavior, we can act with strength and courage as we pursue our dreams. Above all, we must not remain stuck in our fear of overcoming fear. To remain crippled by fear is simply a choice, just as choosing to face your fears is a choice.