Whether it's blowing the whistle on an impending environmental disaster or simply ensuring that the office paper gets recycled, sometimes it's left to the individual to fight for what they believe in.

As renowned psychiatrist Thomas Szasz once said: "Men are afraid to rock the boat in which they hope to drift safely through life's currents, when, actually, the boat is stuck on a sandbar. They would be better off to rock the boat and try to shake it loose."

Inner Strength

Becoming the rocker of said boat however is often easier said than done. It takes inner strength and inner commitment – concepts often alien to those held in the throes of modern life. In John Graham, President of the Giraffe Heroes Project - an organization based on recognizing people who "stick their necks out for the common good" – describes the case of a would-be environmental activist who nearly gave up after knocking on just one door.

"Experts" told Lois Gibbs that she didn't know what she was talking about when she said that her neighbourhood was polluted, but she kept on, eventually getting her case to the US Congress and forming the Centre for Health, Environment and Justice which helps toxin-plagued communities clean up the poisons and waste.

Gibbs was successful because she was fighting for her and her children's health. Her self-belief was born of necessity. For a majority of people however, the issues that concern them aren't so direct and immediately urgent. This is where an understanding of the self becomes so important. For anyone wishing to make a stand, and then stay standing, it is essential to first tap into their innermost motives for wanting to do it.

Personal Development

Tim Macartney, author of "Finding Earth, Finding Soul" and founder of the Embercombe charity for self-discovery, has designed a course with the purpose of achieving this all-important understanding. "The Journey" is specifically tailored for those who "wish to undertake a voyage of personal exploration and step towards their true authentic self".

Over five-days, participants experience a combination of shared physical activity, deep facilitated conversation, engagement with creative processes and personal time for contemplation. In this way their individual development is advanced to a point unachievable amid the trappings of day-to-day life.

Courses such as this offer a sound base for individuals to actively and confidently engage in the issues that concern them. Standing up and demanding an audience is always going to be nerve-wracking but prior knowledge of the self and the inner strength that comes with it is a formidable ally – even when it's the only one you've got.