Being brave is easier than we think.
I came to the realization that being brave is easier than we think while watching my nephew this week.
I mean, a five-year-old can nail it without any outside help, so it must be easy, right?
Bennett, my nephew, was scheduled for this Tonsillectomy on Wednesday. My son and I were talking about it.
Evan, my son, said, “Dad, Bennett is so brave isn’t he.”
“What do you mean?”, I asked.
He proceeded to tell me all about how he was a little scared when he had to go to the dentist, but Bennett isn’t even scared of going in for surgery.
He was right. But that sparked a question in my mind. Why?
Why was Bennett so brave? What special skill did he have to not be scared to death about surgery?
That’s what we’ll look at in this post. That and some tips on being braver more often.
What is bravery?
Definition of bravery. 1: the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty: the quality or state of being brave: courage showing bravery under fire.
That’s Merriam-Webster’s definition. I love what it says about showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. Given that definition, it’s easy to see why we would all want a little more bravery.
We face many difficulties in our lives. It’s when we face difficulty or fear and move away from it we are actually choosing to shift down to the lowest levels of the energetic scale. We choose victim thinking when we shun bravery and are destined to live out our choice as a victim.
You can spot victim thinking by phrases that indicate something that happened to a person. For example, “I was kicked off the bowling team. I can’t believe that happened to me.”
Now you can argue that that did actually happen to you, but I would still challenge you. That as a choice you are making. You can always choose how you look at things.
The brave response would be accepting responsibility. It takes bravery to face the fear of owning the situations. Might sound like this, “What did I do that would lead them to kick me off the team? I guess I did miss our practices quite often and my scores have been suffering.” The brave response is to actually own it.
Bravery is Important
All throughout history, we have examples of bravery. Our movies are riddled with bravery. We gravitate towards other people who are brave, like my nephew facing his surgery. But why is bravery so important to us?
Bravery is important. It demonstrates our ability to manage our world around us. It goes back to the ownership mindset versus the victim mindset.
Are things happening to you or are you making things happen? Bravery calls us to make things happen. Get things done. To lead and engage other people. To do all sorts of things.
Without bravery, very little would get done. Soldiers would not keep us safe. Teachers would not stand in front of 20 kids that are judging their every move. Parents would not bring children into the world. Bravery is a requirement for sure.
How to Be Brave
My nephew demonstrates bravery, not just when going in for surgery. He shows bravery in each day and each activity. That means it’s a mindset.
Be braver by doing these:
- Be aware that bravery is a choice and it is the hard one to make
- Engineer your environment to remove the decision from the heat of the moment – choose how you will react before the moment of required action
- Re-frame your focus (this is Bennett’s secret) – He doesn’t know he’s being brave. Bennett thinks everyone else has done whatever he’s about to do, so why not him.
- Adopt a Brave Mindset. Ask yourself what a brave person does in tough situations. Write down your answers and work through them.
I am very proud of my nephew for being so brave. I’m even happier that I can learn from him and his bravery. In a way, he’s teaching all of us.
