I am not, by nature, a brave person.
I will never jump out of a plane, or even off the 3 metre diving board, even though I am not afraid of heights.
I will never swim with sharks, or bungee jump.
I will never ride another roller coaster, ever.
I worry too much about things that might happen to ever be so reckless.
But sometimes I think that worry, that lack of recklessness, holds me back. It stops me from stepping outside my comfort zone and trying new things.
I am not talking stupid, insane, things that won’t do anything but cause me to vomit with relief that I made it out alive. I am talking about smaller things, like standing up for something, putting myself ‘out there’, learning or practicing a new skill…
Every once in a while I remember I want to be braver, and when an opportunity comes up to do something brave I try to shove my fear aside when I decide whether or not to do it.
It might just be something a little bit brave like answering questions for a newspaper article, or deciding to buy a puffer vest, or maybe it’s something a whole lot brave like talking on the radio, or making a hard decision.
And sometimes being brave is just entirely too hard, and so I curl up under my doona, shut my eyes and wait till the brave passes me by.
What have done that is brave?
{image adapted from this one by fontplaydotcom}
I’ve been brave…..I’ve started wearing clothes & in particular colours that I’ve spent my life hiding from because I never wanted to stand out. I did a style course so know these look good & make me feel great & best thing being brave nothing bad happened, I was brave & it was good.
‘nothing bad happened’ – that is so true!
Nine times out of ten I do something brave and not only does nothing bad happen, but something good happens… and even if something bad happens it is never all bad!
Yay you on the bright colours!
Puffer vests do take some consideration!!!
They really do… I mean I don’t want to be a fashion victim, and what colour do I pick?? And what if I never wear it???
Except that sometimes being brave means not over thinking things and just doing it! LOL
i was like that too and last year it was the motivation for me picking the word “fearless” as my guiding word – it did not mean i did major things (i will never bungee jump either!!) but it forced me to push through the nausea and worry many times in 2012 (and continues now). Now i focus a lot on the “what have i got to lose” or the “this is necessary to move forward” and dive in (nausea and all). now go find that puffer vest – bright colour or neutral???
I’m thinking about a vest in red, and a jacket in navy… it gets cold here and that way I can be bright or neutral! LOL
i don’t do anything that might hurt. I dont bungee, I dont jump out of plans. Adventure sports are just not for me. The thrill of death is not one I like.
I totally agree. I don’t think that putting one’s life at risk just for fun is brave.
But I was brave two days ago. My dairy allergic son accidentally drank his sister’s milk. It wasn’t until I read your post that I realized I was brave at all. Up until just now, I have been a complete mess, ridden with guilt for not watching him more closely. But I reacted quickly and calmly (forcing benedryl down his throat to stop the reaction, waiting for a minute to see if the symptoms slowed, and giving him an epipen injection when they did not), drove like mad to the hospital, and did not cry hysterically when my son needed me to be strong. At least not where he could see me….
WOW that is super brave!
I am usually good in a crisis, but I am yet to have to use one of our epipens and I hope I never will… I am not sure I could be as brave as you!