The Sight of Courage
October 22, 2025
Action with Courage
November 5, 2025
Courage makes a difference during liminal times in many different ways. It gives you the ability to experiment. You can try new ways of being, knowing that “failure” is an opportunity to learn. Liminal times often lead to new possibilities that invite you to do things you have never done before. As an adult you are used to knowing what you are doing; it is awkward to be a beginner. Running an experiment in your own life is a chance to grow, to meet new people, and to explore options around you that might support your thriving.
Courage in Doses
Experiments are, by definition, finite in time and scope. They still require some level of courage. It isn’t easy to test your limits and abilities in new areas when you are not sure about the new situation. Meeting new people and learning from strangers creates new social connections which results in seeing yourself in a new light. Fumbling around as a beginner is tiring and frustrating. At the end of an experiment, you need to rely on your own judgement to decide if the experiment was a success. It takes courage to try out a new idea, unsure if it will succeed.
Courageous experiments can enrich your life; they are signals to yourself and others that you are beginning the process of change. You are stretching your boundaries and growing.
A few ways that courage shows up during times of experiments:
Try Something New
Testing your skills and abilities in a new area is not easy. Sure, this seems like a great idea, but you won’t know if you have the strength or flexibility for a new activity until you try. There may be a learning curve to do what you want; determination and persistence are needed until you figure out what you need to know. It is not easy to look awkward or to feel unsure as a beginner. With a lifetime of accomplishments, it takes courage to test your limits in a new area.
Meet New People
As you embark on an experiment, you will meet new people as guides or participants. Taking yourself out of your normal social circle results in others seeing you from their point of view. There is courage in entering new social scenes. Learning about their perspective might cause you to see yourself or your ideas differently. This is a challenge to identity and comfort. A shift in identity can be uncomfortable, revealing, and liberating all at the same time. Being open to change takes inner courage.
Integrate the Lessons
As you progress through your experiment, you decide what you think about this new idea or way of being. Maybe you think it’s great, but others who have known you for some time don’t like it. Maybe you don’t much like it, but others think it’s great. In the end, this is your life and your decision to make. You have invested time and energy in trying out something new. Remembering that it is an experiment is key. Choosing to let it go takes courage. Choosing to integrate it into your ongoing life takes courage. You get to choose.
Liminal times give you a chance to step out of your usual patterns to try out new ways of being, new connections, and new ideas. Experiments are meant to give you new information, whether they are a “success” or a “failure.” It is not easy to put yourself in the position of a beginner. Engaging new people and their world views can be liberating and challenging. At the end, deciding what you want to take from the experience requires insight and thoughtfulness. Life experiments can be a meaningful part of your liminal journey as you learn more about yourself, and the options open to you.
Peace,
Laura
If part of your liminal journey is self-employment, Laura runs Accountability Sprints for Solopreneurs and Entrepreneurs. Her next sprint starts on November 3rd, 2025. You can see more information about this at: https://learnmodelteach.kit.com/sprint
