The Importance of Bravery

This week I've been pondering the importance of bravery in our day to day lives. What does it mean to be brave?

Often I think we see or hear this word and think of heroic action. Of doing what needs to be done in dangerous circumstances. Of medals awarded to members of the emergency services and armed forces. As I was writing this blog I received a message from a former client saying she's doing a skydive for a charity very close to my heart. Now that is outstanding bravery!

But there is also everyday bravery. Those acts of courage necessary to move our lives forward. Asking the person we like whether they’d like to go for coffee. Asking our manager for a pay rise. Applying for the promotion. Deciding to change career. Moving across the country for a new job.

I never thought much about bravery. I certainly didn’t consider myself brave. But I began to notice in conversations with friends they’d tell me that they could never run their own business. When I asked why I was expecting answers about time, money or knowledge. Instead it was always “I’m not brave enough.” This astounded me as I don’t feel particularly brave. But, on reflection, yes, I've made brave decisions. I have acted with courage.

At the time, in the moment it felt scary to go it alone and start my own business, but I knew in my heart that it was absolutely the right decision for me. I was being made redundant for the second time. This time from my dream job. I asked my inner wisdom what I should do next and I used the Cycle of Discernment to make a decision I knew I could trust.

It was knowing that I could trust myself and my decision that helped me to find the courage to follow through and take the action. I didn’t feel particularly brave. I was scared and excited in equal measure. I was daunted but determined. I found my courage and took action. Nearly seven years on those brave actions that took enormous courage at the start – setting my fees, telling people what they were, marketing my work, asking for payment – they’re all well within my comfort zone now.

Two years ago when I decided to do my coaching qualification and launch my coaching business I went through all the same fears and worries again. Just walking into the room of 150 plus people for the first weekend of training was scary enough.

Even though it was what I knew I wanted to do next and right for me committing the money was scary. It took courage to make that investment in myself.

Finding the time to do the work and attend the training days was daunting when I already had a successful business taking up so much of my time and energy. But, I knew it was the right decision.

I know I can trust my decisions and so I was brave and took the necessary action.

When I look back at my life, my career in particular, so much I have achieved and so much of my growth has happened because I have been brave. I have acted with courage.

I've gone from not wanting to speak in a meeting to chairing meetings with confidence.

I've gone from dreading giving presentations to loving public speaking.

I’ve gone from hiding in a corner at social and networking events to making small talk with a reasonable amount of confidence and success. I’m yet to find anyone who says they love networking events!

Some of these shifts have been very conscious. Some of them have been thrust upon me by circumstances. Either way it was me who showed up with courage. It was me who chose to be brave in that moment.

But, I also know what happens when you fail to be brave.

Fourteen years ago my inner wisdom told me loud and clear that I needed to leave the job I was in. I needed to find a way to get out no matter what. But I chose to listen to fear. I had clarity without courage. I was worried about how it would look on my cv. I worried what other people would think when I’d worked so hard to get that job. I worried (understandably) about how I’d pay my bills. So I got stuck in a cycle of indecision, stayed put and the decision was taken out of my hands thanks to the toll staying there had on my health.

Instead of being brave and doing what my inner wisdom was telling me to do so very clearly I listened to my fear and it ended up taking me months to put myself back together again.

I’ve experienced both sides of being brave and failing to be brave and I believe that we need to be brave. We must act with courage and take risks sometimes. I’m not talking about being reckless, instead a calculated risk. Becoming self-employed was risky but I had redundancy money and some savings. I wasn’t risking losing my house by seeing whether I could make my own business work.

Many of the women I work with have side businesses. They still have an income from their job so they aren’t risking the roof over their family’s head, but they are being brave, putting themselves and their work out there and making a difference to their clients’ lives and their own lives.

So, I would encourage you to do a little life audit. See where you’re already being brave – you may be pleasantly surprised.

Where do you need to be more brave? What courageous action could move things forward for you or those you love?

In my work I support women to trust themselves. I help you to build clarity about what it is you want and confidence and courage in order to take the action necessary to create a fulfilling and meaningful life that lights you up. Your life, your way.

What could you do, what could you achieve if you were to act with courage?

I offer a free 30 minute call to experience coaching with me and to see how we could work together. Click here to book. I have room for two one-to-one clients a month and during March 2020 I’m offering 20% off the price of my coaching packages to members of my email list.  So now’s the time to click the link below to sign up for my newsletter.

Here's to a week of brave action. I'll be networking at a big event this weekend, which is way out of my comfort zone so I'll be practising what I preach.