Rosa Parks got on a bus one day and refused to sit down the back. This may seem like a simple action today, but in 1955 her actions were revolutionary, and even dangerous. They also sparked a civil rights movement that changed America, and the way we look at rebellion. The life lessons her courage can teach can apply to every part of life, not just to resistance against tyranny.

Rosa Parks was a small woman from a humble background. She was also African American in a time of racial segregation and hatred. Her refusal to move from that bus seat could have led to her death at the hands of angry men. In fact, before that day she’d been threatened by the very same bus driver for a similar rebellion. But she found her courage somehow and took a stand on that day. And her actions became a polarizing example of peaceful but determined rebellion and courage.

What lessons can be learned from the actions of this quiet woman? And how can we apply them in our own lives?

You don’t have to be loud to be a leader

In America in 1955 African American people had to ride in the back of the bus. In fact, the segregation laws were so strict that they had to enter through the front door to pay, and then leave the bus and get on again through the back doors. On the day in question, Rosa Parks was seated in the first row of the back of the bus when a white man entered the packed bus. Because there were no seats for him, the bus driver told the African American people in the first back row to get up. Three of them did, but Rosa Parks refused.

Her actions led to her arrest and she was charged with disobeying the segregation laws. The subsequent court case led to boycotts of the transport system by the entire civil rights community. It also led to violence. Several key leaders of the movement had their houses bombed by angry residents of the town that Rosa Parks lived in. But in 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that the bus segregation was unconstitutional. And Rosa Parks became the mother of the civil rights movement.

So often when we think of leaders we think of shouting people who are louder than everyone else. Rosa Parks was small, and she chose silence to indicate her rebellion and her determination. There’s a lesson in this for every leader, every entrepreneur and every person. Don’t think you have to shout louder to be heard. Sometimes you just have to do the unexpected with conviction and determination.

Courage can get you everywhere

Nobody knows now how much courage it took Rosa Parks to remain in her seat that day. She was probably terrified. Terrible things happened to African American people who fought back against the status quo.

When Rosa Parks had first joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1943, her husband was against it. He was afraid that something would happen to her. She was a small woman and her mind must have been full of terrible possibilities. But she still refused to stand up. And in doing so she changed the world.

Fear is a constant in everyone’s life. It’s a natural process that kept human beings safe in the past. But in our modern world, that fear is often out of proportion to the situation. You may fear the future or the unknown, but there is little chance that those fears will kill you. And yet too often people let those fears stop them from achieving the things that really matter.

Rosa Parks could have faced the worst result for her actions, but she did it anyway. And in doing so she proved the power of courage, and the rewards that can come from it.

The smallest things can make a difference

How many strategies did people try to change the laws at the time? How many failed? And in the end, it took a woman on a bus to really encapsulate the determination of the civil rights movement. She inspired a nation with one small, insignificant choice.

The world can be a dark and scary place and we can feel helpless in the middle of it. The world’s problems are so huge, and we’re so small that it can feel useless to even try to help. But Rosa Parks took one small action. She knew how small she was, and perhaps even understood that her action might be completely pointless. But she did it anyway. Sometimes it’s the small things that inspire others and change everything.

Violence is never the way

Too often these days we exchange a hurt for a hurt. We believe that if others hurt us, we have the right to hurt them. But Rosa Parks chose a different way. She chose to sit down. She chose to accept that others might hurt her for her actions, but that her own actions would be simple and peaceful.

After she was arrested and charged, the leaders of the civil rights movement organized a boycott of the city’s buses. This left many buses sitting idle, costing the city and the transport companies a lot of money. The response was violence. Several houses were bombed by the other side. But the example set by Rosa Parks seemed to inspire the civil rights leaders. There was no violence from that side, only determination. And they were successful.

The example set by Rosa Parks can be seen in others as well. Gandhi is perhaps the most famous example of what can happen when non-violent opposition is used against violence oppressors. These types of examples act as a beacon of hope, that human beings can learn to choose another way.

Think outside the box

Rose Parks’ actions have resonated throughout history. With all of the violence of the time, all of the fighting and anger, the image of a small woman sitting on a bus clings to the imagination. So often we approach problems with conventional thinking. We believe that they can be solved with the same kind of thinking that others used to fail in solving them. And then we wonder why we fail.

Einstein said it best, he stated that insanity was “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

These words, and the example of Rosa Parks, reminds us to find a different way. It reminds us to consider new solutions to old problems, to try and sometimes fail, but never let that stop us from trying again. Rosa Parks failed the first time she tried to rebel against the bus laws. But she also tried again. And the second time she won everything.

Determination is the key to success

Rosa Parks set her mind on what she wanted and refused to waver no matter the threats or her own fears. After she was arrested, in the year it took before the Supreme Court overturned the laws, she lost her job and was harassed by angry citizens. It must have been a year of fear and of uncertainty.

And yet, in her own words, Rosa Parks claimed that "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

This is a valuable lesson. Whatever goals you have in life, whatever you want to achieve. Decide to do it and watch your fear diminish as you move forward on the path you have chosen.

The number one thing you should take from this

Statistics tell us that we’re all average. The simple fact is that most of us are ordinary people. This can seem demotivating, but it shouldn’t be. The example set by Rosa Parks proves that sometimes, ordinary is all it takes to change the world. How will you change the world?