“Faith is the force of life.”
- Leo Tolstoy

Do you know what it’s like to hate yourself?

I do.

I know exactly what it feels like to look in the mirror and hate what you see.

It’s a horrible feeling.

To be clear, I've never been in a better place than I am today, but I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t tell you about all the valley’s I’ve been through as well.

I’ve been laid off. Fired. Depressed. Broken-hearted. I spent years of feeling stuck, frustrated, and alone. Overwhelmed by frustration, self-doubt and numbing with substances, which only made things worse.

There were even days when I woke up not wanting to continue with life.

And I wouldn’t be alive and in the position I’m in today if it weren’t for my faith.

The dictionary defines faith as “belief that is not based on proof.”

I like to say it’s “fear without the pessimism.”

Both faith and fear involve something that hasn’t happened yet. Our minds can be our best friends or our worst enemies. Our relationship with fear determines which.

Fear is always scanning for threats. It’s job is to think about the worst case scenario and ask “what if this happens…", while faith takes a more optimistic view of the future and declares “even if this happens…”

I think of my faith like a three-legged stool. The three legs holding me up are my faith in myself, faith in the process, and faith in something bigger than me, that is beyond just the physical realm we call reality.

I believe we honor God by leaning into the gifts we were given, serving others, and choosing love over fear.

Is it any surprise that the darkest times I’ve experienced all came from me pursuing paths that weren’t aligned with leaning into the gifts I was given? I’m grateful to have made it through those times and feel a spiritual obligation to help others. That’s why I’m building Daily Courage and why I write this newsletter.

Maybe the word faith makes you flinch. Fair. But this isn't woo-woo.
The stats speak for themselves:

I’m sharing a few things that have worked for me in hopes they can help you or someone you know, get through hard times as well.

Fear doesn't just make us anxious. It suppresses our gifts. That's why every faith tradition keeps repeating the same command: do not be afraid. Fear is a demonic spirit, literally. If you’ve never read Outwitting The Devil, I highly recommend it. It’s also available on YouTube for free as an audiobook.

That’s why understanding the connection between courage, fear and faith is so important.

Courage equals willingness to act divided by fear.

To become more courageous, you want to decrease the denominator (aka fear) and increase the numerator (aka your willingness to act).

Faith helps make you more courageous by decreasing fear.

Here are 6 things that to help you shrink your fear.

1. A passage. Every single religious text talks about fear, courage, and faith. Every single one. In the weeks leading up to me putting in my resignation on 11-28-2023 to leave my job at Apple, I woke up with night sweats and drenched sheets. I had nightmares of every imaginable fear playing out. There was one text I kept going back to: Matthew 17:20. It meant so much to me that I even bought a watch and had it engraved on the back, so I could commemorate my leap of faith. I intend for it to be a family heirloom for generations to come.

2. A predecessor. This is someone who walked your road before you and made it through hard times. One of my favorite’s is U.S. Navy Admiral James Stockdale. Hewas a prisoner of war for 8 years, and never lost his faith that he would be released. The Stockdale Paradox is named after him.

3. A playlist. Music is powerful. It truly is a magical force that can do things nothing else can. Intentionally using sound to help you is a game changer. Optimistic by Sounds of Blackness is one of my favorites. My dad used to play it for us as kids. Thanks, Dad!

4. A practice. This is some ritual that you can return to. Mine is morning gratitude. I make my bed, then spend a minute feeling thankful with every fiber I've got. I get super explicit about all the little things I have to be grateful for. Fear and gratitude can’t coexist. Gratitude is scientifically proven to reduce activity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear center. Scripture figured this out long ago: give thanks in all circumstances.

5. Proof. A written record of what you've already survived. I keep what I call my S.O.U.P. list, Stacks Of Undeniable Proof. This is a log of every time you’ve caught fear lying to you. Every time God came through for me. The jobs. The people. The doors that opened. My S.O.U.P. List is my ever-growing list of receipts that I have everything I need to rise to the occasion.

6. A place. This is a spot that resets you. It’s your “happy place”. Ideally you have somewhere in nature. Researchers found two hours a week outdoors is the threshold where people report noticeably better health and well-being. I suggest having a picture of it on your phone for the times you can’t get there physically, so you can access it via visualization.

That’s it. That’s the Sacred Six. Hopefully you find them helpful.

And if you carry wounds from religion, I understand. I'm not inviting you to a denomination. I'm inviting you to stop playing life on hard-mode.

The power of the mind is real. The Placebo Effect is real.

If you must believe in something, why not believe in something that serves you?

Here's your reflection for the week:

Think of ONE person that could benefit from this newsletter edition and forward it to them.

Here's your challenge for the week:

Create your Sacred Six this week.



With courage,

Jonathan