04 of the eight
Courage
7
Does anyone risk something they would miss, or is it only noise?
On How I Built This, courage is a 7. In the middle. Neither the strength of the story nor the thing that fails it. Swagger is cheap. Courage costs a reputation, money, a body, or a friendship. A quiet refusal can be braver than a fight.
What it is
Swagger is cheap. Courage costs a reputation, money, a body, or a friendship. A quiet refusal can be braver than a fight.
A high mark
Someone pays a real price, for a reason that is not only himself.
A thin mark
Noise, revenge dressed up as bravery, or a hero who risks nothing he would miss.
What it is not
Not a preference for violence. A fistfight can be cowardice. Staying, or saying no, can be the brave act.
What to look for
- 1The risk should cost a name, a friendship, a fortune, or a body.
- 2Ask who the brave act is for. If it is only the thrill, it is smaller.
- 3A fight can be swagger. The nerve that matters is often the one with no audience.
- 4The person should be different after. If they reset for the next stunt, the cost was fake.