Being brave means different things to different people. Sometimes bravery can mean being the ‘tough guy’ and for others it means just being able to put a smile on their face. Bravery is a quality we all want and is one that we can all posses. But how…?
What is bravery?
Before we can obtain something, we first need to understand what it is. Being brave ultimately means not letting fear stop you. We all feel fear but think that makes us weak. Being brave doesn’t mean never feeling fear. It just means we know how to handle that emotion and still push forward.
Know what you want
We all need goals in life, otherwise what are we working towards? Fear can leave us feeling overwhelmed, lost and confused. We lose sight of who we are and what we want. We can regain focus once we know what we want.
Imagine being in a tunnel. It’s totally dark and you can hear all these terrifying noises around you. If you let fear consume you, you’ll lose your way in the darkness, perhaps even start spinning in circles with this frightening thought that you’ll never escape. But then, in the distance you see the tiniest bit of light. That’s your exit. If you focus on that light, you can start moving forwards getting closer and closer to freedom. Suddenly, the noises are nothing but a distraction and pose no threat to you now. You know where you’re going.
That’s effectively what it’s like having your goals. Then you have a reason to be brave.
Understand the fear
A lot of people try to block out their complex thoughts in fear that it’ll get overwhelming. Understanding where you fear is coming from is helpful in overcoming it. It’s similar with anxiety; understanding the triggers helps you come up with a game plan on how to tackle it.
Fear usually comes from lack of self-confidence. Not feeling good enough or feeling that you will fail. The best way to tackle those thoughts is by facing the worst-case scenario. So what if you fail? What if you get embarrassed? If you face the worst-case scenario mentally, you are effectively living through it and facing the fear. The next step is doing it in real life…
Take the first step
It takes immense bravery to take the first step, but that’s the only way to overcome that fear. Doing things mentally will only get you so far but if you want something, you have to go after it. Create a series of stepping stones for yourself and start with the first step. Make it as small as you like. It’s still being brave.
The more you challenge yourself, the more comfortable you get with feeling uncomfortable and that means being able to chase your dreams. Say you want to start your own business, step one can be making a Facebook page. The second step could be sharing that page with friends. Each step should be manageable but they all require some level of bravery.
You are brave. You are capable. Throughout our lives, we are continually working on ourselves and there will be new challenges which require bravery. By tackling those challenges, we are growing in capability and bravery.
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