I don’t like tricks being played on me so I tend to lie low for April Fools. My friend Sally Ann did catch me though with a Facebook post that she’d been up all night because one of her dogs made young ‘uns. I was ecstatic thinking to myself that since I no longer had Tosca and Tula (my former Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Labrador/Rottweilers), an entire OTHER story, I could take one of the pups off her. It turned out to be a joke. I’d been punked. One joke…hopefully no more for the rest of the day.

I didn’t have too many conversations today but I did have a very significant one with myself. I’ve been in the rear view mirror of my life recently – reviewing how things have progressed thus far – what I could do differently – what I needed to do more of. One of the things that kept popping up was that I simply needed to have more COURAGE. Courage seems to be MY word for this leg of my journey.

So this morning I revisited something that Sandra Walston said about courage:

“All you have to do is decide whether this forgotten virtue is worthy to learn. If Stephen Covey’s “8th-habit” – leadership – calls you to “help others find their own voice,” then making that a habit requires declaring your courage. Leadership qualities are defined by courage, such as asking for the tough project no one wants or staying focused on the results (regardless of the sacrifice). What would motivate you to explore today where this ancient virtue fits into your work life? If you are receptive, you will find sometimes you’re on balance and other times you slip down a step. The fact is you cannot learn courage by doing something you already know.”

I want to inspire others to build their courage muscle and UN-stick from wherever they’ve been stuck – Lord knows how long. But I realize that it’s not going to happen based on ANY of my own expectations. I have no idea how long or short it will take, But I’m taking my own advice and sticking with it for at least 18 months (you’ll see how it all unfolds).

Self then has a conversation with self about fitness. “You know you need to practice what you preach. Everyday for the month of April, you will take a walk after dinner.” This claim was reinforced by something I read in the ‘Poke the Box Workbook’ by Seth Godin – Is there an area of your life that needs poking? Can you make things better for you and those around you?
• If you never pick the restaurant, can you make reservations next time?
• Can you be the person in your family who exercises consistently?
• If you’re laid back, can you start initiating and planning activities?
• If you wash the dishes every day and someone else cooks, can you switch roles?

The second suggestion had my name written all over it. I would be the leader and walk.

Except right after dinner I started negotiating with myself…telling myself that I would start TOMORROW! Does this sound familiar? But my higher self refused to be conned. Up until this time I didn’t share my commitment with anyone so it was easy to change my mind and start on another day. The next thing that happened is I heard myself saying to Ana – “I was thinking about going for a walk.” Now someone else KNOWS. I then asked her if she wanted to go and she said “Yes! Let’s go now because it’s getting late.” And BOOM! We walked – down the hill and back up again.

This was me, flexing my squishy  underdeveloped courage muscle today. But I am encouraged by a pin I saw recently which simply said:

And I did…I did indeed. Thanks for ignoring me today Higher Self. You refused to be fooled today! What small courageous step will you take today?