bravery

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life."

"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world." Both by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last week I was talking to my sister, asking her about my niece and how she was doing at school. You see, she is surprisingly shy at school (which just blows my mind, because she is a beautiful and bright little gal). However the other day she came home from school with a story of bravery...a story of facing her fear. She was in class and the teacher asked a question and no one knew the answer (or maybe they did, and they were as fearful of speaking up as she). The class sit there all quiet. Finally Brooke raised her little hand high in the air and the teacher called upon her. She answered. And she answered correctly. I would like to hope that she answered with a certain amount of confidence...you know again the thing of heart being open, head held high, and direct eye contact. But she could have been quiet as a mouse in answering, or she could have even answered incorrectly.

To me, when her hand went up and she gave an answer...whether it was right or wrong, it was a victory. And the next time it will be easier, then easier again and so on.

This quote, "Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world." How true is that? How many of us don't do something because we fear failure.... looking silly, sounding ignorant, or because we think we're not smart enough, not skinny enough, not talented enough, not creative enough. Simply not enough.

Today, I challenge you to do one thing that scares you...maybe a little or a lot. Maybe it's speaking up at school or work, turning yourself upside down in a headstand or handstand, taking your very first yoga class, parallel parking (that one is for me), looking for a new job, etc. Try it and just see how you feel afterwards.