Composure: The Courage to Tolerate Discomfort

I'm re-reading the wonderful 'Your Body is Your Brain' by Amanda Blake, PhD and this nugget stood out for me today. It's a view I share, and a way of thinking about courage and composure that I assess will help anyone - senior leader or mere mortal ;) - on their journey towards developing presence, building resilience and deepening relationships.

"Composure is not about getting rid of the nerves. Nice as that may sound, sometimes it’s not possible. Rather, like courage, composure is about being able to tolerate all the strong sensations that go along with making a big, important move. It’s about consciously feeling all of the intensity and physical discomfort while aligning yourself in such a way that those sensations can move through you without getting stuck in a swirling whirlpool of anxiety. It’s about using your breath as best you can and choosing to take action from your commitment rather that your fear. This is what courage and composure really feel like. It’s not always comfortable. In fact, it rarely is. And yet, it’s the one thing that makes all the difference in meeting challenging circumstances."

From 'Your Body is Your Brain', by Amanda Blake, PhD, Chapter 9. Composure, page 147.