Originally, I chose brave as a challenge. I like to scare myself like that. I like to be told I can’t do something, that something isn’t possible, whether it’s the outside world or a voice inside my head that is doing the talking.
So I dared myself to write an article and enter it into a contest I had absolutely no intentions of winning. I disguised it as a goal in my monthly planner. Maybe that what’s goal are, in a sense, a dare to ourselves.
But somehow in the fray, brave has completely captivated my attention. Before the article, I had read a bit about bravery in the form of Brene` Brown. If you haven’t read her work yet, please do yourself that favor. Still, it wasn’t until I actually threw down that little challenge that it kind of exploded for me. Like an Instagram filter that changed the color of everything slightly.
Maybe it’s like when you are pregnant or wishing you were (I’ve been both) and everywhere you go you seem to see pregnant women. When the idea of living brave caught my attention and I paused to stare at it for a moment, the world began looking a bit different to me.
I began to see this gaping chasm that was the lack of bravery in society, in our relationships, in our day to day lives, in my life. And I couldn’t un-see it. It takes bravery to admit we are wrong and clean up our mistakes. It takes bravery to get back in the ring after we make a mess of ourselves. It takes bravery to die to yourself daily, to be faithful, to put yourself out there. Again.
The good news is plenty of people are doing this well. There are still models of this in our world, in my life. The bad news is, it’s easier than ever to decline, to opt out. It’s easier than ever to settle for a second rate life, to never push the envelope or live authentically. It is so commonplace, it’s hardly noticed.
Now more than ever, I value authenticity. I value people of conviction. Even if those convictions are quite different from my own, I appreciate people who have thought through the process, weighed the options and base their decisions on what truly matters to them. On a stage where posers and followers run deep, it takes bravery to live passionately about what really matters to you. I respect people who take the time to figure that out, to own it.
So I’m choosing brave now because it’s the only real option. The only option that can make a difference. The only option that I want my children to see and to know. I refuse to leave it all on the table because I was too scared to step. I refuse to avoid things because they are uncomfortable or scary. Except, maybe, skydiving. I have no intentions of skydiving.
Welcome. I’m so glad to have your company on the journey.
