What is genius without courage
Courage is the backbone of genius.
Hi my friends,
Last weekend was one of the first full weekends I’ve been home in over a month as speaking gigs have taken me to several of my favorite cities.
So, like all gals with purposeful ambition, I decided I needed a weekend to Netflix and chill. As I was flicking through the recommendations, Green Book popped up on my screen.
If you haven’t seen Green Book, it’s a 2018 movie featuring Mahershala Ali. It’s about a world-renowned pianist Dr. Don Shirley, who hires Tony (an unlikely friend) to drive Shirley on a concert tour through the segregated Deep South, relying on the Green Book (a list of accommodations where it was safe to stay as a Black person) for safe accommodation.
This movie pulls on all my heart strings. But there was one particular scene I couldn’t get out of my head.
Ahead of a major concert, Dr. Shirley is not allowed to dine in the same room he will shortly be playing in because he is Black. Dr. Shirley then refuses to play the concert, taking a stand for his beliefs, his worthiness and his identity.
In response, one of his colleagues comments, “Genius is not enough. It takes courage to change people’s hearts.”
And that line stopped me in my tracks. I paused the movie and grabbed my notebook, furiously scribbling away.
Because how often do we believe that if we are just good enough, smart enough, accomplished enough… the world will automatically meet us with dignity?
But Dr. Shirley’s moment is a reminder: brilliance may open the door, but courage decides whether we walk through it aligned or contorted.
Courage is the bridge from painful ambition to purposeful.
And for those of us building ambitious lives, especially those of us who have had to earn belonging in rooms that were never designed for us, this is the deeper work.
This is something me and a handful of clients have been sitting with (you know who you are!).
Not just: How do I succeed here?
But: What am I no longer willing to abandon in order to stay here?
The Monthly Reframe
We all have beautiful forms of genius just waiting to be shared. And it should never have to come at the cost of our true selves.
I want the kind of life where what I create in the world is inseparable from who I actually am. Where I don’t have to perform a version of myself to be received, and where I don’t negotiate my wholeness for the sake of recognition. I’ve been deep in this practice for over a decade, but something about it feels more alive than ever.
So here’s the reframe I’m practicing and offering to you if it lands:
My work is to let my genius rise through me, not instead of me.
And let courage be the thing that keeps me intact while it does.
You courageous genius you,
Amina xx
Book me to speak: If you are interested in bringing the conversation around purposeful ambition to your organization, conference, or ERG, hit reply to this email and let’s schedule a time to talk.
Work with me 1:1: If you’re interested in building a more purposeful and profitable career, the joyful way, book a consult right here.
