Fill Your Cup With CouRAGE

How a coffee cup sparked a revolution in my mind

I have a coffee cup that says “Filled with Rage” that I received for donating to a feminist publication called Bitch Media. It’s a punchy, neon yellow mug with jagged script. It’s perfect and I love drinking my morning tea out of it (at one point I was drinking straight gin out of there but that is for a different time and story).

Rage is a complicated and beautiful word. It’s weighted. It’s powerful. Some people think poorly of the word. Some people think it’s a bad or inherently violent word. At the end of the day you get to decide the meaning and value of rage.

I love rage and I love expressing myself, especially through my anger — but this wasn’t always the case. It took some time for me to even accept it.

Some of us are afraid to be angry — but in reality we aren’t showing our emotions in a healthy way. For many years I tried my best to suppress any intense anger I had, which resulted in built up resenting and poor coping skills.

When I looked at this RAGE mug enough I started seeing a new word— courage. And the idea shifted: fill your cup with courage. So I needed some time to better understand the correlation between RAGE and COURAGE. How were these words connected?

When you’re shitting your pants in fear but still do that terrifying thing, that’s courage. When you loudly stand up for your truth, that’s courage. Rage can be an ignitor for courage. For example — your rage and anger with injustice in this world could fuel your courage to speak up and start your own nonprofit. The rage you had over how your ex boyfriend treated you — that’s the courage fuel you use to write a series of essays about vulnerability and romance. Rage is the catalyst, courage is the fuel. And your life will be better when you learn to speak for your truths and stop being afraid.

There is something so special about filling your cup with courage. You are pouring into yourself and your needs, both physically and metaphorically. And of course there is everyone’s favorite cup metaphor: feel your cup so you can fill others too. That same idea applies to courage. If you demonstrate your bravery and boldness, filling yourself up and overflowing with courage — others will feel called to do the same. I know I have become more fearless by the inspiration of others. So I hope you feel inspired to channel your rage (or grief/anger/anxiety/fear/disappointment) into the courage to work through and overcome whatever is thrown at you.

As always I love ending my essays with affirmations/words of encouragement, and here are some to help guide you:

Despite the fear I feel, I am resilient.

• The obstacle won’t feel so big once I’ve over come it!
• I’ve done hard things before, I certainly know I can conquer more.
• Others will be inspired by my courage.
• I am inspired by my courage!

P.S — I wanted to share a little secret about my creative process. I originally had the idea for this essay back in January 2020 (different times…) and now in May 2021 I have finally published it. I knew it would happen, I just needed to let my life run its course. I lived with a lot courage, which sparked me to return to this essay idea. Sometimes the simple answer is — let be and trust. Live with courage.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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