Courage stands halfway between cowardice and rashness, one of which is a lack, the other an excess of courage.

Both failures come from the same place, which is not reading the actual size of the risk. One person sees danger everywhere and does nothing; the other sees none and walks in unprepared. The middle is not a personality sitting between the two, it is an accurate estimate of what is in front of you.

When a decision frightens you, get the facts of the risk onto paper before deciding anything. What could genuinely go wrong, how likely, how recoverable. Half the time you will find you were being timid, and half the time you will find the caution was earned, and both are useful to know.