When was the last time you acted courageously? Maybe you don’t think of yourself as a courageous person. This episode can help change that. Dr. Cynthia Pury is an expert on courage, and researches the topic at Clemson University. She joined Jackie Congedo to talk about what it actually means to be courageous and how we can grow it in our lives.
“I now define courage as… taking a worthwhile risk.” — Dr. Cynthia Pury
Courage is one of the six virtues defined by VIA. These virtues are a way to classify the 24 character strengths that lie in all of us. VIA says “Courage describes strengths that help you exercise your will and face adversity.” The unique strengths VIA classifies as part of the virtue of courage are bravery, honesty, perseverance, and zest.
In this episode, Dr. Pury shared that one way to shift your thinking about courage is to link it to your values. For instance, if you value inclusivity, it may be easier to take the risk to stand up when someone is being excluded, when you remember your personal value. She also introduced us to the notion of personal courage – acts that might not seem courageous to others, but are meaningful and risky for the individual. We learned so much from Dr. Pury in this episode, and we hope you do, too!
Download this episode and start to grow your courage today.
Thanks to the Mayerson Family Foundation for supporting this series https://www.mayersonfoundation.org/
This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here for updates and new episodes
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Episode Resources
Learn more about The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/
Take the character strengths survey for free https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/upstander/assess-your-character-strengths/
Visit the VIA Institute on Character:https://viacharacter.org/
Find out more about Dr. Pury
https://www.clemson.edu/cbshs/about/profiles/index.html?userid=CPURY