Be Brave: The Little Book of Courage

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There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

Next time you want to try something you fear, don’t have any expectations of how it’s going to go. Approach it with a sense of curiosity and don’t worry about the outcome. First, know yourself. Understand your goals and your values, so you can decide which actions matter most. Certain career goals may motivate you to take that expat role or reach for the next job that will stretch your current skills. Your values will dictate which issues require your actions. Also know your own emotional responses. If you’re going over the cliff of anger, it may be best to pause and consider your next best action.It will force you to return to your body and thus feel much more at peace. 12. Disconnect your mind: Also know your limits . Often growth requires you to go outside your comfort zones and embrace new situations, take new actions or venture out despite being unsure or afraid. Putting forward a risky idea or recommending a novel approach may require you to go in new directions. Realize how you’ll need to stretch so you can be prepared to take forward action. Failure is an ominous word to many, but it shouldn’t be a bad thing. It can seem scary and, obviously, it isn’t the outcome most people hope for. But, failing can be a teaching moment along your journey to help you get closer to reaching your dreams. Practicing positive self-talk or putting yourself in challenging situations are small but powerful steps to build self-confidence and become a brave person.

Courage also helps you step beyond your comfort zones and this provides you with greater perspective and expanded experiences which help you succeed in future situations which may be unfamiliar. Having gone through more, you have greater reserves on which to draw. This resilience is especially helpful in the future of work which will be increasingly ambiguous and fast-moving.And when they meet a dominant man who has the potential to satisfy their submission fantasies, it makes them desire him intensely. This is just one example of how the fear of failure affects your professional growth. Instead of advancing in your career, developing new skills, and being in a role that aligns with your true potential, you choose to feel safe. This technique is particularly useful when it comes to doing some frightening things for the first time. When you don’t have any past experience that can reassure you (for instance, approaching a girl on the street when you’ve never done it before, throwing a punch, and so on). 13. Celebrate: Stand For. Express your courage through your values as well. Do the right thing for yourself, but also for others, as a member of a community. A study by Ohio State University found when students didn’t cheat, they tended to rate higher on measures of courage, empathy and honesty. And they also tended to have a greater belief in the honesty of others around them. Their courage had important components which connected them to others (empathy and belief in the positive nature of others) and which contributed to their integrity (honesty). Know what matters most to you and don’t be shy about articulating your views. Do this in a way that others can hear you, and also seek to learn from others. Open yourself to others so you can gain new perspectives and continually develop your own opinions over time. As the saying goes, “when you know better, do better.” Start with a strongly held belief and seek to expand your understanding of different perspectives so you can ensure your responses are as empathetic and holistic as possible. Perfectionism can cause you to be so harsh on yourself that you view things that are really accomplishments as “failures” because they don't live up to your unreasonable standards. For example, a perfectionist might consider earning a B in history a “failure” because it isn't a perfect grade. A student who is fair to themselves could view it as a success, because they worked as hard as they could in the class. Focusing on your process, rather than its outcomes, can help you beat perfectionism.

By making some key changes to your mindset and trading out old beliefs, you can learn how to be brave and live a live full of purpose and growth. What Does It Mean to Have Courage? Once you feel at ease asking for directions, you can increase the difficulty by adding a compliment. Ultimately, the best way to be courageous is to just do what makes you scared. Take a deep breath and do the brave thing. You can plan all you want, find the right mentors, and put yourself in the right mindset, but if you never jump into a brave decision, you’ll never have courage.Remember to keep your self-affirmations focused on, well, yourself. Remember that you can't control others. For example, a helpful self-affirmation could look like this: “I will do my best today to manage my fears. I can't do more than my best. I can't control how others act or respond to me.” It will make you want to look for those little scary situations which give you the opportunity to be brave and thus feel pleasure. If you don’t feel like you are a courageous guy—in other words, if you don’t have a big and strong courage muscle—you’re going to start with situations you can cope with.