Let us not wait for other people to come to us and call upon us to do great deeds. Let us instead be the first to summon the rest to the path of honor. Show yourself to be the bravest of all the captains, with more of a right to leadership than those who are our leaders at present.
— Xenophon
To go out there on a limb? To fight for what you believe in? To be willing to suffer for your beliefs? There are both crucibles of courage… and breeding grounds for it. Few leaders are ever perfectly in sync with their times — they’re usually ahead of them. Which is going to mean looking around and finding that they stand alone. Which is going to mean early moments of small crowds and few supporters. What they can’t do is moderate their fears of being cast out of society. For the hope of fitting in. No one wants to be driven away, but it may well be exactly what we need (which is in part why we can’t let the fear of this outcome prevent us from doing what needs to be done day-to-day).
Eventually, inevitably, if you are an independent, visionary, or principled person, you will find yourself alienated. Alienated from your peers. Alienated from the tenor of your times. You may be fired. You may be thrown out of office or made a pariah. Or, best-scene scenario, humored but ignored. You can let his break you, or you can let it form you – form you into the person that destiny is calling you to become. Because you know the work you’re doing is important, because you know it’s bigger than you.
Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favours The Bold
Ryan Holiday
