I honestly believe that we are not meant to walk through our time on earth like drones or zombies.
Living
. Well, it's something else. And it takes more than just breathing. It takes more than just observing. It comes alive in the doing, and in the risk taking.
Fear is the opposite of Love.
And fear holds us back in countless ways, day to day, month to month, and year to year, before we know it, we've missed opportunities that we can never regain in the same way. We secretly wish that we would have been courageous. That we would have walked away sooner. Or that we would have said yes, before the chance passed us by.
But it's not too late to be Brave.
I love encouraging you in the ways of love and also in the ways of adventure.
This life is meant to be lived, and lived
fully
.
What would your life look like, if you were suddenly brave--braver than you've ever been before?
I think you'd be proud and pleasantly surprised.
The old folks used to say, if you're going through something hard...well,
just keep living
. And if you haven't gone through something hard and difficult...well...j
ust keep living
.
I'd like to add a little something to that. Living, and getting through the difficulties and even the highlights of life take a special sort of bravery. A bravery that is tempered with perspective and the ability to risk again and again, whether in love, career, friendships, relocations, etc. It's a type of bravery that allows you to believe in a hopeful future beyond your own legacy. This type of bravery can be acquired by absolutely anyone, and it has the potential to change the world.
With that said, it's time to live and
it's time to be brave!
4 Secrets to Becoming Brave:
1. Be Loving
Remember how I said that
fear is the opposite of love
. Do you ever notice, that when you're in a relationship or feel well loved, you feel practically invincible. Anything and everything seems possible. You get the energy to pursue dreams that you never thought you would ever do.
While most people would concentrate on getting someone to love them to achieve bravery. It's crucial that you know that you are already loved and being sought out by God. #truestory
If you don't abide by that reality, of already being Loved, being brave and selfless will not only be a bit more difficult, it may even seem unnecessary and elusive at the most important of times.
Practicing the act of loving, is all kinds of brave wrapped in one.
You might get rejected, ignored, hugged, cried on, whatever. But your part in all of this, in order to become more and more brave is to love and to love intentionally. Simply love and be kind to the one in front of you,
sincerely
.
2. Stop Hiding
This is a big one.
We human beings are funny. We want to be known and seen. We want acknowledgement and fame, and yet, we don't want to step out and be highlighted in unfamiliar territory.
But you must.
You must get out there.
I too, adore hiding. I love being in the background. It's comfortable there. It's territory that I know. But my heart keeps challenging me to step off of the cliff into new lands that I've never been to before.
Dream with your heart.
So you love to dance, but none of your friends do? That's okay. You should still sign up for that dance class. You wrote a song, but you don't think you're ready to play it in front of a friend? You should.
Sure you might be scared. But being courageous and brave doesn't mean you don't feel scared, it simply means that you do it scared anyway. I know. Not the type of encouragement or secret you wanted to hear. Ha! But the reality is, you will get better and better at pushing through and releasing fear over to God, the more you stop hiding, get out of the boat, and take risks.
Because when you are seen, it's not just about you, it's about them. The eyes that get inspired by seeing you be brave. And in turn, will spark a new seed of bravery in someone else.
3. Get Vision & Say Yes
Have you ever done a vision board? You know,
1980s style? Where you cut out pictures (From a magazine, etc.) that remind you of all the dreams of your heart (Career, places you'd like to travel to, things you'd like to accomplish in your life, style, relationship hopes, etc.) and you post them on some sort of board, whether big, medium, or small. If you haven't, its time for you to do one. And if it's been more than 2 years from your last vision board, it's time for an update.
Vision boards are powerful, and placing them somewhere in your home where you will constantly see it, helps to reinforce the dreams in your heart.
So when opportunities arise, whether big or small that you've been dreaming of--and they
will arise,
you simply need to practice saying
yes
.
I recommend visualizing yourself first being brave and doing the thing you think that you could never do.
With that said, practice saying yes, now.
Don't let the fear of success or the fear of failure shut you up.
Practice saying yes now, and be committed to your yes.
You've had dreams of being a CEO. So when someone asks you to be the head of a committee at your current job and you feel slightly stunned and not perfectly prepared in every way, say a prayer, and then say YES.
You've had dreams of speaking to groups of women across the country. And then someone asks you to speak to a group of ladies, to simply share your heart, don't think of all the things that could go wrong. Simply say a prayer, and say YES.
You've always wanted to travel overseas, and your friends invite you on a trip to Africa, giving you some time to save money for the trip. Guess what. It's time to say YES.
And note: While you may be saying yes to said opportunity, know that seasons of our lives change, and what you said yes to in one season may not be a yes in the next season, but it's imperative that you step out and TRY, breaking the fear of risk and perfectionism.
4. Get Supportive & Supported
It's amazing what happens when you go on a crazy journey with someone rather than trying to go it alone. There is strength derived from
supporting someone else
to do something crazy and seemingly impossible.
Being a support team for someone else is a major secret to becoming brave. Be sure to have 1 or 2 people in your life that
you are encouraging
and being supportive towards in terms of their dreams and their life journey. These are not folks that you casually say, "Go get 'em, tiger!" to. These are the people that you cry with, laugh with, and text to make sure they are writing all of their blog posts for the week.
Being invested in someone else's dreams makes you brave in ways that you would not believe.
Seeing what other crazy things people are attempting is quite humbling and inspiring at the same time.
These beautiful souls are in the fight with you.
And in the most dire of times, you'll find yourself
supported by these same champions
. Because they know what it's like to be standing on the edge of a cliff with 2 choices. And these people are determined to see your soar, just as you helped them fly in journeys past and present.
Bravery is never just for ourselves.
That would be quite empty.
Bravery is undoubtedly for the sake of love.