How do you Define Bravery? 

What comes to mind when you think of the word “Brave”? Perhaps it’s conquering your fears and challenging yourself to an intimidating goal. Maybe it’s a firefighter running into a burning building to help save a troubled family. It might even be standing in front of an auditorium and delivering a speech. 

The Positivity Project defines bravery as “You act with mental, moral, or physical strength even when you know things are difficult or scary.”

No matter what comes to mind when you think of the word “brave,” it’s the ability to step out of your comfort zone, overcome your fears and rise to the challenge. 

This month, we challenge you to summon your courage and overcome your fears and take daily steps to become even more brave. Just remember: Bravery looks different in everyone, and today we will be sharing a few tips to become more courageous and overcome fear.

Tip #1: Start small 

Overcoming your fears isn’t always easy, but oftentimes big fears can be conquered by taking small steps. If you’re afraid of public speaking, a small step to take to conquer your fears is to start practicing speeches in small groups. 

Let’s pretend you have a big class presentation in thirty days that you’re absolutely dreading. Help ease yourself into overcoming this fear by practicing your speech in front of a group of 5-6 of your friends. 

Once you feel confident and comfortable with a group of about 5-6, increase your audience by 5 more people. Eventually, you’ll feel comfortable with 30 people, and you’ll be able to continue working on conquering your fears of public speaking. 

Tip #2: Encourage yourself! 

Overcoming your fears is no small feat! No matter what your fear is, stepping out of your comfort zones, fighting your anxiety and challenging yourself to summon courage are all actions that should be praised. 

Each time you take a step closer toward conquering your fears, give yourself a little praise! A fun idea to track your progress in your own life and give yourself encouragement is to start a goal journal. Each time you overcome an obstacle, write about it in your journal and affirm yourself and your actions. 

You’ll be able to track your personal growth, grow your self confidence, and when negative thoughts arise – you’ll be able to read about how you walked towards courage in the past. When you’ve overcome a huge fear or tackled something that is causing you anxiety, reward yourself with something small like a fun activity with friends, a new book to read, or even a sweet treat!

Tip #3: Find out other people’s stories 

Oftentimes, I’m most encouraged to conquer my fears when I hear stories about other people and how they summoned bravery. There are so many inspiring brave people and stories out there that there is no lack of inspiration and motivation! 

If you are looking for some courageous people in history who are the blue-print for “how to be brave”, try researching Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman, and Amelia Earhart! 

Ask around to your friends and family too if they have stories of courageousness or know about anyone who bravely conquered their fears. You never know if there are be family members or friends who can share their own stories about how they overcame their worst case scenario and found inner strength and mental resilience to overcome fear.

Challenge Accepted

We hope you accept our challenge and choose to conquer your fears! Bravery is not easy, and it’s a choice we all need to make in the face of adversity and challenge.

Whether it’s a physical, moral, or emotional fear, we encourage you to take steps towards bravery and choose to flee from fear and overcome your obstacles! In the process of embracing bravery, it’s okay if you have times where you face worry, doubt or fear. 

These are all emotions you might experience in the process of growing more confident and resilient. It’s important to not get stuck in the fear, but focus on moving forward and continue developing courage and mental strength. Courage means taking action and even small steps that contribute to moving past worry and anxiety.

Things to Remember

Remember that many people are rooting for you and want to help you become braver together.

Also, you never know who may be watching you and how you’re inspiring them to be braver too! You may be someone’s role model and encouragement to take the first step towards the right direction.

For more resources, check out Positivity Project’s lesson plan on bravery here. 

QUESTIONS:

How does Derrick Coleman show bravery?

How do you, or someone you know, show everyday bravery?

How can bravery impact a group of people?