Seven Degrees Left of Center

A Dream Without Courage Is Just Decaf

Decaf has always struck me as coffee’s polite cousin—the one who shows up to the party dressed right but leaves before anything fun happens. It looks like coffee, smells like coffee, even pretends to be coffee, but when it comes to the punchline… nothing. No spark. No buzz. Just brown water with good intentions. Like decaf, dreams without courage look promising but deliver nothing real.

And that’s exactly what a dream without courage feels like.

You can picture it, plan it, daydream it, even talk about it as if it’s already brewing. But unless you stir in courage—that jittery, heart-thumping, “oh no, I’m really doing this” kind of energy—it stays flat. Safe. Decaffeinated.

Courage is the caffeine in every real dream. It’s the thing that takes you from imagining to moving, from someday to today. And yes, it might make you shaky. It might make your heart race. But it also wakes you up to your own life.

But if you actually want your dream to carry you forward? Skip the decaf. Decide today—where can you add courage and take one bold step toward your dream?

A dream without courage is just decaf. Don’t just imagine—choose boldness. Take action and taste the difference.