Today’s Bloganuary prompt is interesting – it asks this question out in the open: How am I brave?

The first thought that went through my mind, as I saw the prompt was:

Am I brave?

Am I even brave to start thinking about how brave I am?

How about zero bravery? Is that an answer?

Growing up in an environment that reeked of toxic masculinity, I associated bravery with impossible feats, such as doing things that others would not do, from silly challenges to gargantuan undertakings. It took me a while to realize that sometimes bravery does not need to be so show-off-y.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines brave like so:

having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty :

Thinking through that definition, and extrapolating that into your day-to-day life, bravery could about anything. When you challenge yourself to face a difficulty, when you show strength to support a friend, when you work hard to complete a task at work… anything.

Which brings us back to the question: How am I brave? I think I know how:

• I push my fear and anxiety aside to power through the things that I am not comfortable doing
• I choose to show up with my authentic self, sticking with the decisions that I have taken in life, without compromising my values.
• I get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.
• I do more and more things that make me uncomfortable.
• I am not afraid to risk my life for the well-being of my loved ones.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things that scare me. I also am paranoid by default, but that is where bravery comes in. I choose to face my fears and welcome them in with all my heart. I’m doing that more and more, day-in, day-out.

And I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me!