How Brave Are You?

 

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Susan Jeffers

Everything you want is on the other side of fear.

Jack Canfield

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.

W. Clement Stone

These are all great inspirational quotes, designed to boost you up and give you courage. And let’s face it, in todays fast paced, highly competitive world, if we want to rise above the crowd and stand out, we will have to, at some point, step up to the plate and face our fears.

We are told that we need to dare greatly, feel our power and boldly go forth like modern gladiators facing the lions in the colosseum of public opinion, armed only with our wits and maybe a really great media campaign.

You can do it. You are fearless, valiant, brave. These are the traits, after all, that will get you where you want to go in life.

Unless, that fear is really telling you something. A warning for your safety or a signal that you really should listen too. Could you, in that instance, be brave enough to not be brave? Would you be willing to chicken out and back away?

You might feel vulnerable, emotionally open, exposed, and fear, will act like the school yard bully, getting its courage bolstered by it’s friends, anxiety and doubt. Will you let them pick on you?

We teach our children to walk away from bullies, to not confront them but instead, to go for help. Can you do the same as what we teach our kids?

When you are brave enough to not be brave, what you are really doing is listening to your gut instinct, or more importantly, your intuition. It’s that little voice inside of you that is telling you, that something is not right, or that you are not ready yet, to take that leap.

Whether you are in a situation where you are afraid of failure or in a situation where you are being challenged outside your personal comfort zone, if you are brave enough to understand, that in this moment, you are scared witless , then it would be wise to step back from the emotional ledge.

Is your intuition telling you not to trust the situation, but fear is taunting you to not be a wimp? Is your body rigid and alert to danger and yet others are taking the chance? Then know this, not being brave takes real guts. The court of popular opinion may have a field day over your back pedal, but this has nothing to do with them and everything to do with what feels right for you.

When you take a stand based on your gut, you are being very brave indeed.

Here is the thing about stepping away from a fearful situation. It allows you time, even if it is just a few moments, to gain clarity and to understand the emotions that are running through your body. Your instincts are there for a reason. They are your natural warning system. Being brave enough to not be brave is not your fight or flight response, it is your inner knowing telling you that more information is needed. Maybe you do not have a complete picture yet.

Now I’m not giving you a free pass on life here. Risk is a real part of life. At some point, if you want that dream, you will have to face some form of fear. But understanding if that fear is ego based or intuititional based is the best way to conquer any challenge.

Ego based fear, is fear that you will look foolish if you fail. Intuitional based fear is your inner knowing coming to your aid, urging you to tread carefully.

Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.

Jonas Salk

Always go with your intuition. Contrary to what your ego might tell you, nobody ever died from looking foolish. If it feels right in your gut, do it. But if your body goes rigid and your hands sweat in panic, then maybe you need to be brave enough to not be brave, and reconsider.

Allow some time to clear your head and gain a better perspective of the issue that’s in front of you. Then once you can understand what your body is telling you, you may find that there is a better, safer route through that fear.

How brave are you? If you regularly listen to your intuition and base your actions on your gut instinct instead of the fear of failing foolishly, then I’d say, you may be braver than you realise.

Continue the conversation, be brave and please leave a comment.