Everyday Brave

I was never that someone to just sit around and let 'life" happen!  I've always been that person that wanted my everyday life to have a little more umph, a little more celebrating time and and a little more (for lack of a better word) LIFE!  I never wanted to wait for that special sometime, but instead wanted those special sometime moments in my Every Day.  Once I started looking, it wasn't hard to find the special moments in my EVERY DAY( maybe a special song on the radio, running into a long time friend, completing a project, hearing and saying the words "I love you") and I embraced them and was thankful!

This brings me to why I laid awake last night; I think the same can be said for choosing to be "Brave" . We often think that being "Brave" is something that only happens when we stand on a cliff or jump out of an airplane or get on a flight across the ocean. What if there is "Brave" in your everyday?

It's "Brave" to get out of bed in the morning, when you think you have nothing to smile about. It’s "Brave" to open the Bible when you feel disappointed with where you are in life. It’s "Brave" to go to a funeral when your heart is broken. It’s "Brave" to apply for the job when you aren’t sure you're qualified for it. It’s "Brave" to say yes to the date when it's time for you to move on. It's "Brave" to pick up a phone and call a friend and tell them you NEED them. It’s "Brave" to choose Jesus when those around you don’t know Him yet.

We all wish we could be a little "Braver", but fear can still jump into our day to day activities. It keeps us from taking action, keeps us from loving each other, makes us scared to start new relationships, progressing at work, and even causes us to procrastinate. For me, I need to tap into my "Bravery", boost it and take on every day with courage.

"Bravery"  is mental toughness,  knowledge, and confidence all wrapped up into one trait. With "Bravery" you can make tough decisions, take action without wasting time, and approach uncomfortable situations comfortably. You need "Bravery" when you take on new tasks at work, confront others who rub you the wrong way, and even on your day to day general journey because you're afraid of doing something less than perfect. When you become "Braver", you become more capable of taking action and handling the things that come your way.

 "Bravery" is not something you're born with, though, and it's not something you can acquire overnight. Like all desirable traits, it's something you work at developing.  If you want to be "Brave" , you need to Be terrified of something, Do it anyway, Be less scared than the first time you do it and repeat. Otherwise there's only one alternative. Be terrified of something, Do nothing!  Just sit back and let life pass you by, because your still terrified.

Of course, there's more to it than "doing it anyway." It's important to note that bravery is just as much about understanding who you are as a person as it is about confronting your fears.  What "Bravery" really comes down to is learning how to repeatedly turn uncertainty—which is what drives most of our fear—into being approachable, and opening our hearts and minds to risk!

Unfortunately, it's hard to be "Brave" with something if you've never been exposed to it. By doing what you fear, little by little, you slowly, but surely take away the uncertainty of it all. If you're afraid of heights, go somewhere high up. Not too high at first, but just enough that you're still afraid. Experience it. Feel it. Next time, go a little higher. As you go, you'll see how small the risk really is, and you'll be braver for it. Learn how to handle things little by little.

It doesn't matter what it was, as long as you were "Brave". For example, say you made a mistake at work. Your dreading telling someone because you were afraid, but it had to be done. Once you finally got it over with, think about that moment when you said to yourself, "here goes nothing..." Someone taught me along time ago to call these my "power moments".

Try to notice those times when you're feeling strong and competent. Pause and take a few slow, deep breaths and tell yourself, "This is who I am." The more you recognize when you're being strong, the more fearless you'll become.

Big or small, "Brave" moments are fuel for future "Brave" acts. That fuel rolls over any time you need it. When you're scared, you can just remind yourself "Hey, if I could do that, I can do this."  When I do something "Brave", I try to capture that feeling in a mental bottle.  I Celebrate it, take a picture, find a keepsake, anything that can remind me of how awesome I felt at that point in time.

Others see me as "Brave"!  People think I'm all put together, because I made a choice not to show fear! Sometimes being "Brave" is just a matter of looking at things from the outside. I have obligations, I have people who depend on me, so I continually find ways to  look at my situations differently so I can tap into my Every Day Brave! If I wasn't afraid, I often wonder how much better of a person I would be!   When we reflect and look at our situations from a different perspective, we may find that we really are capable of doing things wholeheartedly, without fear.

If I can't seem to find "Bravery" in the moment, I pretend that I'm not afraid.  "Fake it 'til you make it", is the phrase and I do! Others see me as "Brave" just the same, and sometimes I just convince myself that fear is all in my head.  Most people never see the fear behind the smile, but it is a constant battle for many of us!

I continue to tap into my EVERY DAY BRAVE, as I move forward in life's journey! As I leave the past behind me, I am continually challenged to be Brave and move forward! I look around daily at the lives of others and what they're going thru.  I find courage and hope thru all of lives HEROES!  The obvious is our WAR HEROES, POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMAN, EMTS, DOCTORS, NURSES, ETC and I am so thankful for them.  But I'm talking about the Everyday Heroes in each of our lives! I'm surrounded by Family Heroes who have overcome, I'm surrounded by young women who continue to empower me daily, I'm surrounded by friends who have suffered great loss and others who have fought tremendous Battles.  Together in all walks of my life, I have the greatest role models, the greatest Heroes and the greatest example of "BRAVE"!

So my friends, to those of you who are hurting, I think the everyday "Brave" is the stuff that will change your world. The "Brave" in your home, your office, your church, your relationships and each other. These are the "Brave" moments worth celebrating. It doesn’t have to be big gestures or loud announcements. Just be "Brave" in your life, whatever is before you, PRAY and watch what GOD does in those everyday brave moments.

From experience I've learned, The hardest "Brave" of all is to hold on when you want to let go OR let go when you want to hold on!  I've always known who I am but was reminded this morning thru prayer to Continue to CELEBRATE LIFE AND CELEBRATE FAMILY AND FRIENDSHIPS and know that for me THIS MEANS.....


My "Brave" is to be a unique "ME" in a world that celebrates ordinary.