Beata Drzazga – a visionary, entrepreneur and business mentor with global reach – shares her thoughts on courage, confidence and stepping out of your comfort zone.
How would you define courage?
Courage is not only a personality trait, but also the ability to make informed decisions in uncertain, often dynamic situations, despite the presence of high risk. It is important that this courage be well thought out and based on wisdom and experience rather than impulsive action.
Is courage in everyday life related to self-acceptance and overcoming past mistakes?
In my opinion, courage is an innate quality, independent of self-acceptance. Not everyone is born brave – this trait accompanies us from birth. Although life experiences can strengthen our innate courage, courage itself is the ability to make wise decisions in risky situations. Although you hear that women are becoming bolder, I believe this is due to the evolution of our society. Today, a woman is not only responsible for the home and raising children. Now we can combine the roles of mother, wife and entrepreneur. We want to grow because we have our passions and the courage to pursue our dreams.
However, I believe that courage is not necessarily linked to self-confidence. One can be confident and yet have doubts and fears about making decisions. This is true for both men and women. There is a stereotype in traditional Polish women’s roles that a woman who pursues a career becomes a bad mother, neglecting her children for professional responsibilities. But the truth is that women are able to manage their time effectively with multiple responsibilities, and know how to harmoniously balance work and family life. Confidence, on the other hand, is another trait that can coexist with courage or exist completely separately. When these qualities go hand in hand, it’s worth adding some humility to them, creating a perfect blend of qualities that is conducive to success, both spiritually and professionally.
Are these three traits related in your personality?
I am a person who combines courage, confidence and humility. With courage and confidence, I was able to realize my dreams and build a prosperous company. My employees know that I value specifics because they enable me to make quick decisions. While I always try to think things through carefully, I expect my team to be fully informed so that I can make accurate decisions. This allows the company to grow dynamically, everything happens smoothly. The same is true in my personal life – I easily make decisions on all kinds of issues, I don’t wait for the opportunity to pass, because I don’t want to think long. I think it can be dangerous to make decisions too slowly in a company, because you can miss a lot of opportunities.
Entrepreneurs who find it difficult to make decisions can discourage even their employees because everything goes too slowly. When employees are full of energy, ready to work and introduce new projects, and the boss constantly hesitates and drags everything out, it clips their wings and they lose their enthusiasm for work. The same is true in life – when decisions are dragged out, those involved lose motivation and withdraw. If one is inherently insecure and believes that every decision must be thought out over a long period of time in order to feel secure, it takes away the joy of acting.
How do you define your comfort zone?
Everyone has their own individual comfort zone, which they create for themselves. It is an area where we feel safe. Nevertheless, this comfort zone can become a trap. Often, out of fear of violating it, we do not develop or take on new challenges. By staying in this zone, we give up many opportunities that could bring us satisfaction and fulfillment. Sitting in the safe corner of our comfort zone limits our growth and doesn’t give us a chance to make positive changes. That’s why I think it’s important to regularly check our comfort zone to see if it’s just an expression of laziness. Personally, I believe that we should walk boldly through life, but I understand that not everyone has this ability.
Source: VIP Magazine