What does it take to be brave?
Stop for a moment and consider:
What would you say was the bravest act of your life?
No matter what your current age is, you have been brave many times in your life. Did you notice your brave acts? Did you honor them?
We have come to associate courage with heroism: soldiers on the battlefield.
True courage is not about fighting wars.
True courage is an everyday fact that takes place in each of our lives.
True courage is about vulnerability and being willing to take personal risks.
According to Brené Brown, in her recent book, The gifts of imperfection, The word courage comes from the Latin “cor” and originally meant “to say what one thinks by saying everything one feels”. (p. 12)
So I invite you to consider:
when thinking about your bravest act, Did it involve sharing something deeply personal with another person?
Courage was necessary to be born into this life.
Courage is asking for help, rather than putting on a false front of self-sufficiency.
Courage is being willing to stop blaming your parents for everything that makes you unhappy.
Courage is taking the time to be quiet with a grieving friend, saying nothing and simply allowing your friend to feel your sad feelings.
Courage is apologizing to someone when you’ve made a mistake—acknowledging that mistake and being willing to admit it to someone else.
Courage is about taking a risk: the risk of being vulnerable and disappointed.
Courage is sharing your weaknesses without being defensive.
How much courage do you have?
Can you say to someone, “I’m feeling really grumpy today, so if I sound grumpy, it’s not about you.”
Can you ask for what you need or want without feeling guilty?
Can you ask for help when you are afraid?
Courage is about going in and doing a life review, and then forgiving yourself for everything you discover that brings you feelings of shame, regret, pain, and discomfort.
Courage is about doing the internal cleansing necessary to bring infinite unconditional love from yourself to yourself.
Courage is about caring for oneself and others with compassion and without judgment.
These are acts of bravery because they are expressions of vulnerability.
Courage is not about never feeling afraid. Courage is about moving forward even when you’re afraid, and especially, it’s about asking for help when you’re afraid.
Courage is about letting go of the idea that you have to “do it yourself” or “do it alone.”
We associate courage with lions. Why is that?
Lions live in families. Young males are expelled when they reach puberty so they don’t compete with their father for reproductive rights or impregnate their mothers, sisters, aunts, and cousins.
All lionesses live together and share in raising young and hunting cooperatively. They are the real power in a pride of lions.
Lions are great hunters, but is that why we associate them with courage?
You can have real courage without being a hunter, without “bringing home the bacon.”
Courage lives within your heart. It is an important quality of the heart. You got it. Is there.
If you have doubts about your courage, go into your heart and ask to be shown your bravest deeds. You might be surprised at how brave you really are.