Imagine this, over a 6 year period, I lost my 21 year old son, my unborn baby girl in my 8th month of pregnancy, 2 brothers to AIDS, and my father. I could have given up, felt sorry for myself, made it about me, instead I asked myself what each one of them would have wanted for me, and that was to live a life of courage, to encourage others, to have a wonderful life. Today I live in Laguna Beach, California with Cody, my awesome husband of 22 years, who walked this journey with me, lending me strength and courage every step of the way. Cody and I live such a blessed and incredible life together. I know that I have come through all of this more courageous, stronger, able to cope with life in a much more powerful way because of the lessons learned along the way.
Since the beginning of time, there have been stories of courage. We have all read many books, seen movies that inspire or encourage us to the depths of our soul, been around people who we look at with wonder because of the courageous things they have done. Sometimes it is something very simple, yet so profound that changes our day, sometimes it is more than we can wrap our minds around. Whatever it is that shakes us up and out of old negative patterns we wish to break, should be welcomed with open arms.
Hello, my name is Debra Oakland. I am all about Living in Courage. This subject fascinates me because of all the possibilities it presents. Courage means different things to different people all over the world. To navigate through this world we live in requires a certain amount of courage from each of us. I hope you will join me in this exploration by sharing your stories and experiences that have required courage in your life. Many people are looking for answers to some of life's biggest questions. Your stories can make a big difference in another persons life. I hope to see you here often.
The words Encourage, In Courage and Living In Courage have come up every morning for month’s now. These words come up in my dreams, my thoughts and follow me around like a small child tugging on my pant leg wanting immediate attention. I am intrigued, interested, and very eager to explore this subject, not knowing where it will lead, but knowing in my heart it will be an incredible journey down a path of love and light.
I notice people talking about how hard everything is. Life, work, relationships, parenthood, growing up, letting go - you get the idea. We have programmed ourselves, and not in a positive way in most regards. Life is not supposed to be a struggle, we make it that way. It takes courage to say, “How easy can it be?”
Not making enough money? Set a goal of what you want to make - an end result. Perhaps you want to make $5,000, $10,00 or $15,000 or more a month. Pick an amount realistic to you, but stretch yourself a bit. Then say ” I don’t know the details of how this will happen, I may not know the way to make this happen, but I hand the details over to _________. Who do you trust in as a higher power, your source, a guardian angel? Use whatever you are familiar and comfortable with, or just the strength you know is inside of you.
Say the amount, hand it over and then say “How easy can it be?” Say it all day, feel it. There is an abundance of money on this planet, plenty of rich people. They have money, so can you. How…
I love this video on voting. This is a video campaign created by Leonardo DiCaprio, will i. am, Tobey Maguire and Forest Whitaker to encourage American youth to register to vote.
How about spreading the word about this video you found here at Living in Courage Online. It takes courage to become aware of what is going on in the world and make some tough decisions. We need to vote. Everyone needs to vote so our voices can be heard loud and clear. Forget about the side shows and mud slinging the media loves to wallow in. What do you want for the greater good of all people everywhere? It is up to us to make a profound difference in the direction of this country and beyond our borders. Stand up courageous and tall as you make a vital choice that affects the world we all live in. Send this video to friends, talk to young people, old people, talk to everyone and encourage them to vote.
The actors you will see in this video are: Amy Adams, will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Connolly, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton…
Reclaim your personal power with authority and courage. When you want to know about something or how to achieve a goal, it needs to be approached with nothing less than victory.
What is personal power? It is a feeling of something you are waiting to express or bring about. A feeling of authority that you have the ability to overcome, to change, to open up to the power that lives in you. You are life. Your will and intelligence governs this expression and expansion. It is natural to step into your personal power when you reclaim your authority over your life.
Who are you? What are you? Only you can answer these questions. We are designed magnificently to be unlimited, to create. We can sculpt, maneuver and design our existence in any way we wish, once we escape the imprisoning fears, philosophies, educational systems and religions determined to keep us in a state of mediocrity. The old power systems are failing to control us. People are realizing we each have the ability to reclaim our power, our ability to think, to create, to be conscious, to be aware, to live in courage, to see truth, to feel, to know.
This painting was created by my new friend on Facebook, Sheryl Brown. We have developed a wonderful friendship. Sheryl, coming from her heart with light and love, was inspired to paint “Peaks and Valleys” after visiting Living in Courage and reading my story. I love Sheryl’s authentic art, spirit and courage. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Sheryl Brown, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with a private practice & Artist.
“Here is one of my recent paintings, “Peaks and Valleys,” which was inspired by reading some of the life story of my new Facebook friend, Debra Oakland. Though she has lost a number of close family members, she explains how she has chosen to be happy and not remain stuck in grief and the pain of loss. Interestingly enough, when I started out this painting, I enthusiastically loaded up the canvas with rather too much paint (some of which I transferred to another canvas - to be posted later). I had in mind some colors from looking at photos of a joyful occasion. In the process of working on this painting, however, the phrase - “oh, the jagged pain” - (or something close to that) went through…
I met Alan Cohen many many years ago, and loved to hear him speak in Southern California. This story is about forgiveness - a vital part of any healing. My beautiful son Wade was killed by a drunk driver. I know something about forgiveness. Please enjoy this story as you look into your heart to find what is unforgiven. Once you release and forgive, you will find your life opening to miracles. This takes courage, but isn’t that why you are here?
A young Japanese man named Shui was riding on a crowded train when a belligerent drunk made his way through the train car and began to rough up passengers. Shui had studied martial arts for many years, yet never before had he been forced into a public confrontation. Shui felt his blood begin to boil, and realized the ruffian needed to be stopped before he hurt someone badly.
Shui stood up, blocked the fellow’s path, and the two exchanged angry words. As the men were about to square off, Shui felt a hand on his arm. He looked down and saw a frail old man. “Let me handle this,” the elder insisted.
Paul Newman - what a wonderful courageous life he lived. Fantastic movie career, amazing marriage, charity and restaurant work, racing. Paul and his wife Joanne Woodward have raised over 200 million dollars for charity. Paul was the heart and soul of Hole in the Wall Camp, and just last year helped 14,000 children go to camp. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward followed their dreams with courage. Here is a quote by Paul about the camp.
I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Moslem ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it. - Paul Newman.
Authentic comes to mind when I think of Paul Newman, he was a regular guy who was kind…
Alex Walker is 11 and from the UK. Alex is all about living in courage. A tragic accident with a toy last August left Alex severely burned on his upper body and face. Three other children were injured as well. Alex’s teachers did not think he would ever return to school, yet within 4 months, he was back. That is courage. What an inspiration this boy is to all who know him. Alex is now involved in school safety on playgrounds (Playground Friend), and is helping to raise money for the air ambulance charity while representing his school in sporting events. Alex is in a lot of pain and discomfort, wears pressure bandages, gloves and will be receiving steroid injections into his face soon. This boy is confident, the face of courage. We send you and your family love and send you wishes for your perfect health. Thank you for sharing your beauty and courage to shine for all the world to see. Here is Alex with him mum Melonie, who says “Alex is coping better than everyone else. Melonie also said that he was a quiet boy before the accident and now is much more outgoing. We are here cheering…
This post was written on courage by my new friend Dieter Pauwels, who stumbled across Living in Courage and loved it here. Dieter shared these words on courage with me and I would like to share them with you. Please visit Dieter, who is a coach from St. Louis, MO. Thank you Dieter for sharing your insight and courage with us.
You don’t have to climb the highest peak of the Kilimanjaro or fly around the world in a hot air balloon to experience courage.
Courage comes from the Latin root ‘cor’, which means heart. When your heart is weak, filled with anxiety, inferiority and regret, you will have little courage. When your heart is filled with compassion, love, honesty, respect and confidence, you will build great courage!
We live in a climate of corporate malpractice — fueled by greed and self interest — financial and moral scandals, and political righteousness. Today, more than ever, we need leadership to be inspired with courage. Courage to lead from the heart, courage to do what is right, courage to provide leadership based on values and strong principles.
We are all leaders of our own destiny. Leadership from within requires courage! When we lack…
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Hello, my name is Debra Oakland. I am all about Living in Courage. This subject fascinates me because of all the possibilities it presents. Courage means different things to different people all over the world. To navigate through this world we live in requires a certain amount of courage from each of us. I hope you will join me in this exploration by sharing your stories and experiences that have required courage in your life. Many people are looking for answers to some of life's biggest questions. Your stories can make a big difference in another persons life. I hope to see you here often.
