The essence of courage is saying Yes to the reality of this moment. By Yes I mean a fundamental acceptance of life in the here and now. Yet our habitual response in the face of fear, grief, anger, or shame is often to resist, avoid, or push away. If, instead, we soften that resistance—even slightly—and open to what is actually here, we tap into a deeper source of wisdom and compassion. This Yes is not about agreement or approval. Saying Yes to judgmental thoughts doesn’t mean we believe them. Saying Yes to grief in the face of injustice or horror doesn’t mean we are passive or resigned.
Yes is an honest and brave acknowledgment of what is true—an acceptance of what is within us and around us.
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From The Courageous Heart Workbook: Choosing to Love in Perilous Times by Tara Brach. Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
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