{"id":22151,"date":"2024-12-30T05:36:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T05:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/?p=22151"},"modified":"2025-01-06T11:52:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T11:52:51","slug":"finding-courage-when-fear-looms-large","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/finding-courage-when-fear-looms-large\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Years On from Fire: Finding Courage When Fear Looms Large"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-47px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]
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Back in Australia for Christmas, I\u2019m reminded of a moment five years ago, in early 2020, that feels both distant and vividly present.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Charred leaves drifted down from an apocalyptic sky as I hurriedly helped my parents pack up their most precious belongings before fleeing the advancing bushfires. The air was thick with smoke, the future uncertain, and fear felt as close as the ash falling softly around us.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I recall thinking,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cSurely nothing will eclipse this as the defining event of the year.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Huh.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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That day marked the beginning of an extraordinary chapter\u2014some experiences chosen, others thrust upon me\u2014which added a whole new dimension to my understanding of courage. Courage, I realized, isn\u2019t just about taking action despite fear. It\u2019s also about\u00a0<\/span><\/span>managing our fear so it doesn\u2019t override rational thinking, narrow our perspective, undermine our decisions, and paralyze us when we most need to act.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Research supports this. Studies* show that when we\u2019re gripped by fear, our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sympathetic nervous system floods our body with cortisol and adrenaline<\/span><\/strong>, narrowing our cognitive and emotional capacity to think clearly. But when we consciously regulate our emotional state, we can shift from reactive fear to intentional courage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In short: managing our fear isn\u2019t about ignoring it\u2014it\u2019s about preventing it from hijacking our ability to respond wisely.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lessons from Fear, Uncertainty, and the Space Between Them<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Just months after the fires, as the pandemic tilted the world off its axis, my husband, Andrew, was hospitalized as one of Singapore’s first COVID patients, locked in their quarantine system for 30 days. At the same time, I was quarantined in our apartment with our son, Ben, while our other three children\u201410,000 miles away in the US\u2014found themselves suddenly homeless as dorms closed and borders slammed shut.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For two years, I was unable to reach my mother in Australia as dementia slowly stole her away, separated by international travel restrictions and an overwhelming sense of helplessness.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Yet it wasn\u2019t just my personal journey\u2014including relocating from Asia to the US in late 2020\u2014that deepened my understanding of courage. Over the last five years, I\u2019ve worked closely with high-achieving leaders across sectors\u2014from Fortune 500 boardrooms to political leaders in emerging democracies\u2014and I\u2019ve observed a striking pattern:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s rarely a lack of skill, intelligence, or opportunity that keeps us stuck\u2014it\u2019s a deficit of courage.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Courage Gap: Why We Hesitate<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Time and time again, I\u2019ve seen incredibly capable people hesitate\u2014not because they didn\u2019t know what to do, but because they were afraid of what might happen if they did it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Fear creates a gap:<\/span><\/p>\n

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