So where did this come from? What does it even mean?
The truth is, it came from an internal battle I’ve been facing: a season of debilitating anxiety. We’ve all felt anxiety in one form or another, but this time, it felt different—paralyzing even. I look back at the last five years, a season of building not just Gracelandic but personal growth. Five years of immense growth. With growth comes big wins, but also heavy losses. Growth sometimes can feel alot like losing. Success is a battlefield where character development takes place; with the good comes the bad, and it's all part of the process. I am grateful for it all and wouldn't change anything.
So, do you let yourself lose or fight through it? Fight. I’ve always thrived on challenges—this was just another one. So I thought. Yet, this time, the voice in the stillness of the night whispered something unsettling: "Courageous people are weak.”
When Things Don’t Flow
I was planning our annual Gracelandic Echo Conference, set for today, September 18. Panelists confirmed, sponsors secured, keynote locked in. On paper, everything looked right, almost. But inside, nothing felt aligned. The energy wasn’t flowing, and I wasn’t at peace. I had to ask myself hard questions:
Why am I doing this?
For ego? Publicity?
Or for the people who cheer me on with “you’re doing great stuff”?
The truth is, I wasn’t doing it from a healthy place.
Delegate. Can someone take this cross while I fix myself?
Fix Myself Field Trip. So I thought.
I’m pursuing my master’s in Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Iceland. One of the highlights this year has been the course Management of Protected Areas, which included a week-long field trip in Southeast Iceland. We explored glaciers, wilderness areas, national parks, waterfalls, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites—while learning first-hand about the complex interplay between conservation, eco-tourism, and the delicate relationship between man and nature. The experience was enriched by talks from practitioners, park rangers, and even the mayor of Höfn, who shared the town’s unique history. It was a week of immersion in nature and conservation, a week I desperately needed.
The truth is, when you’re in charge, the calls don’t stop and the final decisions rest on you—it’s a weighty responsibility. With so many moving parts and being pulled in different directions, I had to make the difficult but necessary choice to cancel the event this year.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one. I thrive on challenges, and I’m not someone who backs away once I commit—my word has always been my currency.
Yet this time, I had to accept something new; Courageous people are weak.
I remain deeply grateful to the incredible lineup of guests, contributors, collaborators, sponsors, the planning team, and all friends of Gracelandic whose belief in our vision continues to inspire and sustain this journey.
Courageous people are weak?
Not weak in the sense of failure—but weak in the sense of being human. Strength isn’t never breaking. It’s choosing wisely when you do. And when you have courageous friends, hold them up, they are weak.
2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV) says it all for me: 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Just like Apostle Paul, I chose to flip the world’s idea of strength. Instead of hiding weakness, I embraced it, because in weakness, the power of Christ rests upon me.
Looking Ahead
For what we didn’t do this year, we’ll make twice as impactful next year. The vision remains, and it will be worth the wait.
Sometimes courage is not about charging forward. Sometimes it’s about sitting still, listening inward, and choosing wisely when to move. "Don't just do something, sit there." - Thich Nhat Hanh. There's more to life than increasing its speed.
Because even courageous people are weak.
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