Florence Klein: How to Be Courageous

Florence Klein, author of “Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer,” joins Suzanne to talk about how she’s been able throughout her life to overcome fear and intimidation, lead an inspirational life, and be courageous.

Florence says, “I’ve been blessed with good health and that’s a blessing. So I appreciate that and I’m very thankful for that. Also, I’m always looking forward and I don’t look back, and so that is important. I want to make a difference, and I feel that I’m on this world now, and I’m able to, and I want to help.”

“Courage is a trait that we all could use more of, not less of. And it’s not what we always think about, like bravery during a dramatic mission or heroic rescue, but it simmers and manifests itself in the biggest and smallest of ways within us, when we’re not even aware of its quiet but steady presence. What is courage exactly? I believe that courage is understanding yourself, having the plain old guts to go forward, and not stop. Taking the time to get to know yourself as a human being, and cultivating confidence in your own abilities, intuition, and identity, and not being concerned with what other people think about you, or what you look like, and so much of who you think you are, start not when you’re 18 years old. It starts when you’re three and four years old, and they label people. Oh, you’re too short. And so you think, well, jeez, I can’t play basketball. And so it takes courage. I never particularly really thought of myself as courageous or brave, I simply went out and did it.

“The flip side of courage is fear. And a lot of fear comes from not being able to make a difficult decision. And how many people you and I know cannot make a decision. Get over it. It’s time, it’s time if you have to make a decision, don’t wait till, well, next year, I’ll do it or well, my house isn’t ready, so I can’t entertain, or going down to the middle things – don’t be so afraid.

“I’m inspiring young people, the Z Group. And the Z Group is from 19 to 35. I’m trying to have them have book clubs. I had one with a Z Group. I have questions in the back of my book that you should use for your for your book club. And the first question they asked is, what am I afraid of? Now think of that, an interesting discussion: what are you afraid of?”

Learn more:
* Florence’s website: https://florenceunderthehat.com/
* Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer: https://florenceunderthehat.com/product/under-the-hat
* Books by Florence Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Florence-Klein

Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/
Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/