Terry Sidford on Courage
/Terry is a sought-after TEDx speaker, author, and Certified Professional Life coach. She has spent over half her life acquiring the knowledge and experience that qualify her to guide others. The acquisition of those experiences is the basis for her book One Hundred Hearts: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them, a collection of stories of female courage in the face of adversity. You can find Terry working on her next signature talk and sharing her insight with audiences across the nation.
Here are some of the big topics we talked about…
Opportunities lie outside of your comfort zone - you must take that extra step
Courage as the attribute that women have but don’t see in themselves
The survey Terry created and gave to one hundred women, turned into her book
Courage was an invisible trait that she didn’t see in herself for a very long time
It doesn’t have to be a heroic act to be courageous (a common misconception)
Lovingly observe fear, being present with it, and take courageous action anyway
A very vulnerable share: Terry’s working through of abandonment, how it circled her in toxic relationships, and the realization that helped her
Courage is contagious!
In Terry’s Voice
“Being transparent gave me the strength to go for things I wouldn’t otherwise go for. I could do this because I knew I was courageous.”
“You absolutely do not know what you’re capable of achieving! You have to get into that unknown space and what helps you take that extra step is knowing that you can do it.”
“Something came up recently and I was thinking, ‘Terry, you’ve been through much worse than this. I know you’ll get to the other side of this.’”
“My theme was that I was afraid of abandonment. I would do whatever it took to have connections. I picked wrong people, partners, and boyfriends in my life. I wouldn’t see it. A toxic person, I’d still befriend them so I’d have that connection. It wasn’t until I realized what my theme was that the theme became the past. It opened up a lot. I knew I could handle being alone if I had to be alone.”
“A lot of people are stuck in the old belief and story about themselves. Yes it happened to you, but you can change the narratives, change the chapters going forward.”
“Tell someone you trust, ‘I’m trying something new, and trying to move past my fear.’”
“Showing up in life as you’ve never shown up before, is that an act of bravery? Yes, I think it is.”
“When we step up and show our courage to others, it inspires others to be more courageous too. Isn’t that what we all need, to help each other, and lift each other up? It’s not just about you. It’s about lifting everyone else around you to be more courageous too, by example.”