Black Panther, Wonder Woman, The Avengers, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Wasp, Aquaman, X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Incredibles: Hollywood knows the appeal of superheroes and there’s no sign of a slowdown for death-defying, courageous acts on the big screen.

Action movies make it seem like all we need is a cape, bulging muscles, character and courage to deal with adversity—regardless of the nemesis. In reality, when facing personally traumatic events, summoning courage is a lot more complex. It takes tremendous courage to rush into a burning building, arrive at the scene of an accident, fight wars, deal with trauma and care for ill people. It also takes courage to stand up for ourselves at work, share feelings with loved ones, confront unforeseen health issues, deal with financial setbacks and imagine our later years in life on a budget.

Courage is more than putting on a cape. To strengthen daily courage, keep these ideas in mind: Courage begins with thinking versus action. Rational thoughts conquer emotional and physical fear. Action will be necessary (that’s why they’re called action heroes!). We can’t just hope for a solution. It will take courage to face the truth and figure out what actions are necessary for us to win the battle at hand. Stop procrastinating. Superheroes make decisions and move—even if it triggers all kinds of other twists and turns! At least they’re not just standing around thinking about the situation while the world collapses. Forget Doomsday! There’s no time for catastrophic thinking in our super suits!

Like Star-Lord (my favorite!) or Captain America (my second fave), we must draw on our very human emotional strength. Accept our limitations, recruit help, stay calm and find ways to comfort ourselves. Keep a moral compass. We can do the right thing because we have experience with adversity. Knowing what we value will serve as a huge source of strength.  Life takes courage. But my bets say your super powers will come to the rescue.

I’m @DianGriesel aka @SilverDisobedience — the author of The Silver Disobedience Playbook ✨ I’m a Perception Analyst who shares my Daily Meditations for other Ageless, Passionate & Curious People.  More info in my bio & on my websites.