Finding Inner Courage

Written by Mark Nepo

Narrated by Mark Nepo

For the first time Finding Inner Courage (previously titled Facing the Lion, Being the Lion) is available on audio and will coincide with its trade paperback reissue and the audio release of The Book of Awakening.

Finding Inner Courage is an exploration into how to find our way to our core, to stand by our core, and to then sustain the practice of living from our core—to live out of our courage. To encourage means to impart strength and confidence, to inspire and hearten. So, the question unfolds: How do we encourage ourselves, each other, and the world? And just what does it mean to live a life of encouragement?

If to find our way to our core is to face the lion, then to stand by our core is to be the lion. And to sustain the practice of living from our core—to live out of our courage—is to find our way in the world by tracking inner courage and where it lives. These notions frame the journey of this book.

The courage we all admire, where ordinary people summon unexpected strength to run into burning buildings or to stand up to tyrants, whether an abusive father or an abusive leader, this inspiring and mysterious impulse to rise to a dangerous situation, which Hemingway referred to as grace under pressure, grows from another kind of courage—inner courage. These are the ways of living and being that make bravery possible in the first place; not just as an event, but as an approach to life, as a way of life.

Thinking about courage in this way opens us to an array of small and constant efforts that no one ever sees, but which have changed the world: the courage to face ourselves, each other, and the unknown, the courage to see, to feel, to accept, to heal, to be. Efforts of this nature often go unnoticed and unrecognized. Like the courage to break life-draining patterns and let the story of our lives unfold, to stand by one’s core, and to persevere through the doorway of nothing into the realm of everything. Like the courage to choose compassion over judgment and love over fear, to withstand the tension of opposites, and to give up what no longer works in order to stay close to what is sacred.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781442342125

Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo is a poet, philosopher, and spiritual adviser who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for more than 30 years. He is the author of 12 books, including the New York Times bestseller, The Book of Awakening. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews for Finding Inner Courage

[Findlaigh Shawe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The quest for inner courage, as far as this book is concerned, involves gnostic monotheism.

There's no mention of this on the book jacket.

I would have appreciated a heads up - if you'll pardon the pun -

So i must abandon this particular guide and continue my search...perhaps there's a "Courage for Secular Dummies" or a "Chicken Soup for the Cowering Apostate" out there.

Otherwise an engaging and profound exploration of the shaping of our individual nuclei .

[biunicorn_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Facing the Lion, Being the LionFinding Inner Courage Where it Livesby Mark Nepo It was a joy to review this 301 page tribute to courage in all it's mufti-facets. I enjoyed the format of this book because it looked at many forms of courage, it's myths, it's roots and even personal stories of courage and valor. Each section was filled with questions, exercises and wonderful ponders on how we can pull more of this necessary attribute into our lives. The author states that this work developed from his own search for courage and if this masterpiece is any indicator he did admirably. I was fascinated at how there could be so much to learn and understand about this topic and I would recommend it to those like myself who would like this elusive virtue within themselves. Thanks Mark for a job well done. Love & Light, Riki Frahmann

[jerrycolonna · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love reading Mark Nepo. He writes beautiful lines about amazing topics. But sometimes his work can feel a little unfulfilling. Finding Inner Courage is really about exploring inner courage...and the difference is nuanced but important