How to Develop Courage by Overcoming Daily Fears

    Sometimes when thinking of courage, we think it only applies to rare and uncommon situations. Yet our ordinary lives can also be full of courage, even if we are not facing the end of a gun, a wild animal or a dangerous criminal. Courage doesn't just mean doing heroic  acts.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, where there is fear on a daily basis, there are opportunities for you to show your courage. Here are some suggestions to develop courage by overcoming daily fears.

● Recognizing your fears.

    By realizing that you're fearful, you are more likely to get to the bottom of what your fear is. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You might come to understand that you're afraid of failing or taking chances. You may be fearful simply because you don't have confidence in yourself. The key is not to dwell on your fear, but rather to understand what it is what you're worried about.

● Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen.

    If you hesitate to take action, ask yourself this: What's the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then go on to improve on the worst. Is failure the worst thing that can happen? No, absolutely not. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Doing nothing is actually the worst thing that can happen. When you take no action, you are assured of getting nowhere.

● Take action.

    Courage comes from taking action. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You need to act to overcome your fear. Your action may put you into discomfort, but you have to just do it. And your action can prevent you from being stuck.

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  To build up your confidence, you need to do the same thing over and over again. Soon you will discover that less courage is needed because you have already gained mastery. You are able to move decisively forward.

A. Share your fears with others.

B. Practice, practice and practice.

C. So you are already in a comfort zone.

D. You cannot think courage comes just in one day.

E. Each undesired result is just one more step towards your goal.

F. Finding out what is truly holding you back.

G. You needn't wait for an emergency to occur to develop courage.

    First opened to the public in 1976,the California State Railroad Museum is one of Sacramento's largest and most popular visitor destinations.Over 500,000 people visit the museum every year,with guests traveling from throughout the world to experience this world-famous place.

    The museum consists of six original buildings.The main exhibit building,the Railroad History Museum,totals 100,000 square feet.Completed at a cost of US $16.1 million,it opened in May 1981.

    Hours: The museum is open daily (except on Thanksgiving,Christmas and New Year's Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From May 28 to September 3,the museum will be open until eight o'clock in the evening.

    Admission: US $10 for adults,US $5 for youths aged six to seventeen;Children aged five and under are free; Cash,personal checks,traveler's checks and credit cards are accepted for payment.

    Location: The California State Railroad Museum is located at the corner of Second and “I” street in Old Sacramento.

    Parking: A limited number of spaces are available for parking on the streets near the museum.However,these spaces are not suitable for guests visiting longer than 90 minutes.All-day parking is available in the large public garage at the “I” Street entrance to Old Sacramento,for a small fee.

    Food Service: Many restaurants are located near the museum.These range from reasonably priced, family-friendly places to some of the finest dining restaurants in the city.

    Accessibility: The museum is fully accessible to people with disabilities.Certain exhibits and programs have limited accessibility,due to factors such as narrow and historic stairways.

    Photography: We welcome photography for personal use.Hand-held cameras are allowed;however,tripods are not permitted for safety reasons.A Morning for Photographers at the museum is a special event.Tripods are allowed during this event.

    When I recently revealed to my friends, colleagues, and family members that I would be moving my family to Israel, the reactions were numerous and varied. Some people said it was an expected thing while others asked: Why now? What will you do?

    For me, making the move to Israel is the fulfillment of a dream that has lasted for my 47 years of life. I have always known that Israel is my home. Over the years Israel has been in my heart, but I have found a number of reasons to put off making it my permanent residence: kids, the economy, education… you name an excuse, and at some point I have probably used it.

    Truthfully, I believe that I was always just a little bit scared. And of course I still am, with the fear factor that is reported by the press surrounding the Israeli military and economy. However, it has come to the point when I have realized that for over 2000 years we have longed for this land, and that for 47 years I have denied the opportunity to make it my home. I am finally ready to fully grasp this opportunity.

    Over the years, I have always loved visiting Israel. I have traveled there with my family, and enjoyed introducing thousands of travelers to the country. I have come to love all of these things about Israel as a tourist because I get to love my home. And as far as waiting for the “perfect” condition under which to make aliyah, I believe the time is now!

    I have been asked many times if I am nervous about moving to Israel. Before I answer, I remember that we have overcome the Greeks, the Romans, the Russian killings, Hitler and the Holocaust(大屠杀)，and the armies of seven countries.

    How can I not feel confident that I , and my family, will overcome any difficulties that may come our way? I am not worrying, complaining, crying, or fearing as I prepare to make aliyah. I am proud and excited to say that I am fulfilling a 47-year-old dream: I am going home.

    Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually lasts only between a few minutes and a few hours. This kind of loneliness is not serious. In fact, it is quite normal. For some people, though, loneliness can last for years. Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness.

    The first kind of loneliness is temporary. This is the most common type. It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation－for example, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year.

    The third kind of loneliness is the most severe. Unlike the second type, chronic(长期的) loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause. People who experience habitual loneliness have problem socializing and becoming close to others unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.

    Many researchers agree that the loneliest people are between the ages 18 and 25, so a group of psychologists decided to study a group of college students. They found that more than 50% of the students were situationally lonely at the beginning of the term as a result of their new circumstances, but had adjusted after a few months, 13% were still lonely after seven months due to shyness and fear. They felt very uncomfortable meeting strangers, even though they understood that their fear was not reasonable. The situationally lonely students overcame their loneliness by making new friends, but the chronically lonely remained unhappy because they were afraid to do so.

    Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease. While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad, and sometimes dangerous condition.

    People need to relax and enjoy themselves. One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event. Even thousands of years ago, groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes (运动员).

    Over 2000 years ago in Greece, certain days in the year were festival days. These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves. They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.

The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia. It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus (宙斯). For five days, athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, people could watch them box, run, jump and so on. There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch (火矩) was passed from runner to runner. The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting. People were allowed to travel to the games safely. Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies (殖民地) in Africa, Asia and Italy. They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves.

Nuclear(核心的) Family

53.7% of Canadians live in nuclear families.A nuclear family usually has parents and children.It is also called the traditional family.This kind of family was the most popular in the 1950s and 1960s.Now the traditional family is choosing to have fewer children than in the past.

Single-Parent Family

In this kind of family,there is only one parent caring for one or more children.The number of single-parent families is becoming larger.The environment of the single-parent family is not very good for the mental and physical health of children.

Extended(几代同堂的) Family

There are grandparents,aunts,uncles and cousins in this kind of family.Members of the extended family live together for many reasons,such as helping to raise the children,caring for each other and dealing with money problems.The number of this kind of family has increased by 40 percent in the past ten years.

Childless Family

A childless family is the one that choose not to have children.The couple has never had children because of some reasons.Most have thought carefully about whether to be parents but finally give up because they think it isn't really right for them.To replace children,childless families usually have pets instead.