Courage | One of the Virtues in Building Good Character Through the Martial Arts

Dear Family,
This month we will focus on the Martial Arts Virtue; “courage.”

Courage is not the absence of fear, as many children might think. Rather, courage is how we cope with fears in the face of challenge. As parents and mentors, it’s important that we let children know that everyone gets scared sometimes. It’s how we cope with those fears that shows our level of courage.
Of course there are reasons why we get scared. Some of those reasons are protective. In other words, we’re scared because fear can keep us safe. Our gut often tells us when something doesn’t feel quite right.

Other times fears emerge from our imagination. We worry about what might happen- even if it’s unlikely.
We need courage when we venture out of our “comfort zone.” For some, courage is necessary when meeting new people or trying new activities. Other people need courage when trying new foods or spending time away from home. Courage helps us to face our fears and “stretch us” so that we can experience more of life.

Studies show that courage is an important component of leadership. In May of last year, Harvard Business Review discussed four characteristics of leaders that can help create a strong team:

(1) Acts of humility,
(2) Empowering followers to learn,
(3) Acts of courage, and
(4) Holding people accountable.

HBR went on to say that especially when leaders took courageous risks for the greater good, it was important for the team. We want to teach our children how to be courageous both for their own development as well as to help others.

Thank you for your support. You are pivotal in helping to make our school one of the best personal development centers in the world.

Best Regards,
—Your Motivated and Dedicated T.H.A Instructors