A friend shared this link with me this morning, an inspiring video interview featuring record-breaking astronaut Christina Koch. I stopped in my tracks at the headline: “Do what scares you”

Did she just do a nudge?! 🙂

(We actually did that nudge back in November, and you can read the completed nudge post here.)

Courage seems to be  theme in my life this week. Two days ago I attended the Naturalization Ceremony for my dear friend Lisa, in which she and 1,253 others took the oath to become American citizens. Being in the audience of supporting friends and family members was an emotional and inspiring experience, and I cried my way through a couple of kleenex.

Keynote speaker California Secretary of State Alex Padilla congratulated the new citizens on their courage. They left behind friends and families. They made difficult choices and took big chances, all in an effort to create better lives for themselves.

Maybe you and I haven’t done anything as dramatic as walking in space or leaving our homelands, but I believe we face every day with courage. For some of us, it’s as “small” as getting out of bed despite many legitimate reasons to stay buried under the covers or deciding to have a positive attitude no matter the obstacles. This might be the day we decide to pick ourselves up (again) after a disappointment or loss in our professional or personal lives. We might embrace someone just as they are or say goodbye to a relationship that is no longer healthy. Maybe this is the day we summon up all our bravery to say YES to something new or NO to something we need to let go.

Whatever is happening in your journey right now, I hope you’ll pause and acknowledge your courage. You are doing great things. And I congratulate and celebrate you.