The Call To Courage

By Tricia Scott

There’s something I keep coming back to lately and fair warning, I’m about to fully fan girl for Brené Brown for a minute, so settle in.

I rewatched The Call to Courage on Netflix and am re-reading Daring Greatly, and the message hits differently every time. 

Maybe because I’m in a different place.
(Maybe because you are too.)

Brenè talks about choosing courage over comfort every single day. I first heard this line in 2019, right in the middle of one of the worst times in my life, and it changed everything.

Courage over comfort. Every. Single. Day.

Not occasionally.
Not when it’s convenient.
Not when we feel ready.

Making the choice when our feet hit the floor every morning.

Then, being the academic icon that she is,  she mic drops with her take on the 'Man In The Arena' Theodore Roosevelt quote from 1910, “If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I’m not interested in or open to your feedback."

How often do we let the opinions of people who aren’t even trying shape how we show up?

People who aren’t building.
Aren’t risking.
Aren’t putting themselves out there (or anywhere).

Meanwhile, you’re over here… in the arena.

Trying. Building. Showing up even when it feels really uncomfortable. And yes… sometimes getting your ass well and truly kicked.

She also says, “If you’re brave enough, often enough, you’re going to fall.”

Not might.
Not maybe.

Will.

Failure isn’t the risk. It’s the actual guarantee.

At first read this might feel seriously uncomfortable, but that’s the point. Failure isn’t proof you’re doing it wrong. It’s proof that you’re being brave with your life.

So many amazing, brilliant women I speak to are holding themselves back, waiting until they feel more confident, more certain, more ready, more something. 

 Those conversations break my heart. So much talent sitting on the sidelines waiting, for what? 

If this is you, I want you to head over to The Spotlight and start reading because on the other side of that waiting is true greatness and it's proven again and again in every one of those stories. 

Every woman on that page made a choice to be in the arena. 

Done waiting.

Done staying small

Done standing on the sidelines of their own lives.

The difference is knowing. 

Knowing that courage doesn’t come after confidence. It comes before it.

It’s built in the messy middle.
In the trying.
In the wobbling.
In the moments where you think, “WTF am I doing?”

And I want you to know that matters so much more than it being perfect.

Ask yourself, right now, where in your life are you choosing comfort, when what you really want is courage? And what would it look like to step out into the middle of the arena anyway?

Even if your voice shakes (it will).
Even if it’s not polished (it wont be).

Because the women you admire? They’re not fearless. They’re just brave enough… often enough. 

We are lucky enough to stand today on the shoulders of literal giants; let their bravery be enough to carry you forward. Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it's that we have far too much to offer to let comments from the cheap seats have a say in how we lead. 

It’s time to get in the arena.

I believe in you (aways).

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 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.