Courage Is Not One Moment; It’s a Daily Choice.

People often associate bravery with a single great deed, such as a daring farewell, a significant choice, or a leap across oceans. However, I’ve discovered that real courage resides in the little things. The morning following the day you choose to leave home is when the euphoria subsides and reality hits, not just on the day you decide to go. It’s in the endless decisions that come after, when you get up, show up, and keep going, even when no one is looking.

In the first few years in a new country, courage wasn’t expressed. It wasn’t always surrounded by fortitude or inspiration. Sometimes, all I had to do was keep my chin up and enter a room where I felt out of place. On other days, I decided to speak when my accent caused people to tilt their heads in bewilderment. Sometimes, courage involved overcoming the lump in my throat and trying again after a setback. I realized that courage doesn’t always shout; occasionally, it whispers. It whispers at you when you’re unsure of the next move, but you refuse to give up and sit in silence. It whispers when you overcome homesickness, weariness, or uncertainty. When you remember that you’re not just surviving, you’re gradually becoming it whispers.

Every day called for a fresh dose of fortitude. I had to constantly pick courage, not because I was always brave, but because I wouldn’t let myself be anything else. Allowing my tale to be determined by fear. Over time, those little, regular decisions gave me an inner strength that told me, “I belong.” I’m growing and able, even here.