Make Yourself Brave Again
Have you ever noticed how brave little kids can be? Sure they may seem hesitant at first but they proceed to still take that first step, or the big jump into your arms, or the first few pedals on their big bike. Most of the time all they need is our encouraging voice there to cheer them on. And they do it.
Just a couple months ago my daughter was in her first dance recital. She was a little quiet before but still smiling. When she was on stage, she performed her dance exactly how she learned it. After she ran into our arms giving us a massive hug. I asked her how she felt being up on stage and she said “I LOVED IT!” Fearless.
Among other things lost in adulthood, bravery seems to be a big one. Which isn’t surprising, there can be many things that condition us to be a bit more fearful. This is something that I have started to notice for myself and I’ve realized that being more conscious will allow me to make myself brave again.
So what do I mean? I am a fearful person. My body wants to block new things…hard! Every single time I get ready to get in the cold plunge, my brain shouts “NO!” When I think about trying a new workout, hesitation is instant. It is much easier to get in my own way than it is to choose to be brave. In fight, flight or freeze…my body instantly chooses flight and freeze.
What about you?
Is there a workout class you keep finding an excuse to miss after signing up?
Is there a networking event you know would benefit your business but the idea of it makes you anxious?
Do you have an idea for a business but you continue to tell yourself not right now?
Do you have goals for yourself but every time you start to catch momentum you find a reason to stop?
Are there specific habits you know you need to incorporate into your life but you find yourself disassociating instead?
One big wake up call I had was that excuses are easy. Quitting when things begin to get challenging is easy. It’s much easier to distract myself instead of pushing my way through.
Ever since I brought that to my awareness, I noticed A LOT. I avoid the cold plunge because of the emotional processing it brings up. I start to get overwhelmed with the day and I find myself disassociating with scrolling social media. I have a massive dream of writing more to reach my goals yet find other things I need to do first before sitting down to write. I have a plan to workout and let one minor inconvenience stop me from going.
It takes bravery to do things differently than how you’ve done it in the past. It takes bravery to redesign your life, your habits, the way you show up. Changes are hard. Changes are extremely uncomfortable.
It can even be with the little things. For example, my hormones are clearly out of whack (expected with having babies and nursing them over a year). I know coffee on an empty stomach isn’t smart. Yet I kept doing it. I kept finding excuses why I was going to keep my morning cup of coffee because I look forward to drinking it right when I get up. But why? Why am I so resistant? I had to consciously make the change. I had to wake up, and grab the bone broth before making that cup of coffee. I had to take the step of actually making the bone broth I kept putting off because I found how it can support your hormones. I had to continue being brave enough to show up for myself. And today…I took it a step further. I drank my bone broth then got into the cold plunge…before my husband suggested it.
And it sucks, doing things differently is hard. Redesigning your lifestyle and continually pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be exhausting. But it’s worth it. If you are still reading this, you have the desire for change. You likely thought of something in your own life that you keep being resistant to.
Let’s make the choice together, virtually cheering on the ones who are choosing to be brave. The ones who are brave enough to change what isn’t working for them. The ones who are brave enough to take the first step, to take the leap, to take off cruising. To the ones who can be brave.
Will you make yourself brave again?
