Personally I think it takes more courage to work at a job you don't love, get paid a fixed income, call someone "boss", and deep down know the whole thing is a dead end. I did that for six months and chickened out for good.
In order to transition to doing work you really love, you may need a temporary shot of courage, but the idea that you must be brave on a daily basis just isn't true.
I totally agree it takes
courage to start living consciously. But in the long run, I think compassion and contribution become more significant ongoing motivators than courage. Going against the grain of the herd is tough at first, but once you get in the flow of going with the grain of your authentic self, the herd grain doesn't taste good anymore and loses its appeal. So it doesn't take much courage or discipline to say, "No, thanks. I brought my own lunch." All you're really doing is going with what tastes better.
I'm comfortable sharing my thoughts online not because I feel brave. I do it because I know there's nothing to fear, I know that people are helped by it, and I enjoy it. It may look scary to some, but it doesn't feel that way to me.
I think when people imagine it takes an inordinate amount of courage to do this sort of thing, they're further distancing themselves from the flow of their authentic self. The authentic self is inherently fearless, so it doesn't even need courage. To be more authentic, we need to come into resonance with that fearless self. Exercising courage can be a step in the right direction, but it should be temporary.