Hi, reader!
Struggling to figure out what to gift someone this holiday season? This newsletter about gifts may provide the needed inspiration to discover the perfect, impactful gift for a loved one!
With that, welcome to the 79th newsletter! This one is all about Courage.
A story.
“Clay, I am so embarrassed! I think your mom saw me lick my plate clean.”
“Um, hold on, you lick your plate clean?”
“When the food is just too good to not get every last bite, I do! And I only lick my plate when I am alone - which I thought I was until your mom walked in the room!”
“You’re sure she saw you?”
“I think so! She probably thinks I’m an animal now!”
This was a conversation I had this summer with my 30+ year-old friend. [Yes, they are a full-fledged, plate licking adult.]
They now thought my mom would think so negatively of them that they would never be invited to the house again.
I said, “Look, this is going to weigh on you for ages. You need to just tell her. Come clean. Just like your plate.”
And to their credit - they told my mom.
And guess what my mom’s response was?
“Oh I don’t care, I lick my plate sometimes, too!”
A thought.
There’s a question that can prevent a lot of future troubles:
What issues could we avoid in the future if we had the courage to talk about them now?
While my friend’s story is a bit silly, it emphasizes the power of having the courage to bring something up that may have consequences.
Often, we over-exaggerate the consequences of saying what needs to be said.
It can seem scary.
It can seem embarrassing.
It can seem life-altering.
Or we can see the positives…
It will remove a weight from you.
It will have less consequences than you think.
It will go better than you think.
What conversation could you have that would remove a weight from your life?
A quote.
“Courage: The ability to do something that frightens us, but is likely to be of benefit”
Love the story and your thoughts!