What is Unshakeable Courage?

Everyone knows what courage is—but Unshakeable Courage goes deeper.

Unshakeable Courage has 3 core principles

• Critical Thinking: Not just following the crowd but questioning and refining your beliefs.
• Self-Determination: Pursuing your path with logic and conviction, even in isolation.
• Non-Conformity: Choosing truth over comfort, even if it means standing alone.

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​Unshakeable vs. Regular Courage:

• Regular Courage is situational, like standing up in a crisis.
• Unshakeable Courage is a lifestyle, consistently choosing integrity over acceptance.

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​Deep Tips for Developing Unshakeable Courage:

1. Self-Interrogation: Regularly dive into the depths of your psyche. Why do you hold your beliefs? Are they truly yours, or borrowed? Challenge your comfort with discomfort through introspection.
2. Embrace the Void: Courage often means solitude. Embrace being misunderstood or alone in your thoughts. This solitude is where true conviction is forged, away from external validation.
3. Knowledge as Armor: Arm yourself with knowledge not to win debates but to understand. Deep learning isn't just academic; it's about understanding the human condition, which equips you to stand firm in the truth.
4. Resilience Through Adversity: View each failure as a lesson in resilience. Life's challenges are not obstacles but opportunities to strengthen your resolve and courage.
5. Courageous Connections: While standing alone can be empowering, seek out those few who challenge you yet support your journey. True connections are not about agreement but about growth.

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​Contemporary Examples:

• ​Daryl Davis: A Black musician who befriended KKK members, leading some to abandon their racist beliefs through peaceful dialogue.
• ​Riley Gaines: She advocates for fairness in sports, enduring personal attacks to uphold her values.
• ​Elon Musk: His relentless pursuit of his visions despite skepticism shows a commitment to his beliefs over public opinion.
• ​Tulsi Gabbard: By critiquing from within her party, she demonstrated courage in political non-conformity.

You know what's amazing about unshakeable courage? It's not about being fearless - it's about taking a step forward even when you feel scared.

Unshakeable Courage is a unique skill - it comes from staying humble, knowing yourself, and sticking to what you believe in. In this world where everyone's quick to judge, this kind of courage helps you be your authentic self.

Every challenge that comes your way? That's just another exciting chance to grow.

As a former professional musician and engineer, I spent a great deal of my time immersed in “counter culture.” Questionable behavior was all around me. I faltered in some ways, of course, but despite all the pressure:

• I never did hard drugs
• I never got any tattoos (just not my thing personally)
• I never went above and beyond to shape and mold myself to fit in.

You’d find me at hardcore punk shows wearing my same old button-up shirt and jeans I got from Kohl’s. No mohawk. No studs. No hair color. I was just into the music. I was a drummer, and the fast beats were my favorite thing back then.

For me, none of the fashion shape-shifting stuff was authentic to who I was, so I just didn’t do it.

And on the contrary, huge swaths of inauthentic people lead to long-term dismay, social unraveling, and authoritarianism—we’ll dive deep into that another time.

Actionable Steps you can take RIGHT NOW.

I want you to start by trying a new activity.

That one that you’ve always wanted to do but have always talked yourself out of.

Just go do it. Just start it. Then when it starts getting confusing and you begin to feel deflated,

Do it some more.

If you do that for a week straight

You’ll be shocked how quickly you begin to unravel the skills you need.

Even if you just do it for 15 to 20 minutes each day.

Have fun with it!

Small, consistent effort will far exceed random blasts of energy.

A little each day.

A little each day.

A little each day.

Signing off,

Jason Kelly