It takes courage to lean in to our trauma, scars, fear, and discomfort and work through the healing. It takes courage to hold hope that things can and will change. Many of us want to avoid fear, get rid of fear and be fearless. However, we cannot experience courage, growth or change without fear.

Courage often happens in the small moments just before taking an action in everyday life. We can practice ways to build our courage to be prepared for more difficult situations. The courage is within, it just needs a little help to stoke the fire.

Begin to notice your habits, especially those you drawn to do repeatedly even though you may not want to be engaging in the activity, and begin thinking about what behaviors you would rather be doing or would serve you better.

Consider adding a healthier habit around one you would like to replace, and eventually when we experiment and repeat this enough, we will replace it with that new desired habit. Remain curious with the practice, reflect often, and adjust to create success.

There is a lot of talk about gratitude this time of year, and many of us express thanks for things and people. But, I’d like you to consider if you are really taking the time to lean in to the feelings of gratitude, especially during a time of year that is filled with so much activity and often stress.

This post is brought to you by featured guest author, Jesse Harless. He and his new book Smash Your Comfort Zone inspire us all to look at what simple challenges we can take each day to improve our motivation and to practice these actions that create growth daily. It’s for those who are looking to break through any self-imposed barriers. The result will be a life that excites you and helps you to thrive.

We can identify our easy buttons by recognizing the actions we go to for numbing and asking ourselves if we really need them. It may make us feel better right now, but it can be severely detrimental and even become an addiction overtime if left unchecked.

The pain in that moment was temporary. Once the race was over, the thought was gone, and I recovered physically quickly. But the progress of getting unstuck is permanent. That change is forever.

Building self-awareness is really the first step in the process of change. When we become aware that change is possible and that we, personally, can begin to take actions to make a difference in our lives, is when the transformation begins. We don’t have to let our reactions to thoughts and feelings cause us to react in ways we don’t recognize or confuse and cause shame. We can identify our triggers and take new actions to respond thoughtfully.

The age-old concept of the glass half-full or half-empty determining your outlook on life is far too simplified. This type of generalization regarding our situation is often why we struggle in the first place. When learning something new, relax and know that you are so much more than the contents of a glass. You will always be learning. You will be great at some things and not so great at others, and it is all perfect. When your inner judge gets too loud, open your heart to compassion and let her know that she will be okay, just like you will be okay as you dance your way through life’s lessons.

Self-care from a place of self-love replaces our easy button activities with ones that are good for our future selves. They are actions that will to allow us to wake up tomorrow feeling better and less tense.

We often feel like our suffering isolates us from others, but when we hear and accept stories from others and recognize they suffer too, we can realize that we are all human and we all battle our stories, thoughts and emotions. Our ego and isolation want us to believe that it is our suffering that makes us special, but I believe what really makes us special is our uniqueness. When we truly accept and embrace ourselves and act in alignment with our true and unbiased nature free of the fear judgement, that is what makes us the most special.

Being open to new perspectives, especially when we are in pain and suffering enables us to grow and change…to see, try and understand things differently. Be open to new ideas and perspectives, at least consider them before choosing to refuse them. It is a choice after all and it may open your world to a whole new and improved experience.

Make mental wellness a practice. Find what works for you and find a way to practice it, and you will find that your mental health becomes stronger and healthier. This nightly practice has improved my mental health and happiness greatly.