"Do not think less of yourself if you can’t be fearless. Doing it afraid is just as brave."

Similarly to ‘being confident,’ our ideas of ‘being brave’ are often wrapped in the appearances of bravery. We see people making brave moves in their lives and accomplishing brave acts, and just like that, it seems like that’s all there is to bravery. If bravery were a person, we might imagine her as a climber, hiking Kilimanjaro alone with a playful grin and sweat in her brow as she stares daringly into the noonday sun. She would appear fearless, completely unmoved by potential dangers, and ready to take on whatever challenges came her way.

But this is only one image of bravery. And it is not a complete one. Bravery, like all good things, is rooted in something deeper.

I believe that bravery has gritty beginnings. It is built on the ground of learning how to live despite our fears. I believe that while brave acts are often celebrated, the true bravery beneath them gets overlooked. We see someone overcoming a fear to achieve something brave, but what about the fear itself? What about the fears of not being good enough or not belonging that magically disappear when we turn on our brave faces?

When we talk about the fears that exist within our stories, we are often expected to talk about how we overcame them, too. It’s harder to fit our fears in the narrative if we are still dealing with them today. However, even though talking about persistent fears might not be the grounds for a leading a news story, or a popular Instagram caption, it is the foundation of realizing that we can still come alive despite our fears.

The fears that lie beneath our brave acts are messy, complicated, and we might still be trying to identify their origins. However, no matter what our fears are, they do not keep us from being brave. They do not keep us from coming alive in this world. They do not keep us from saying, “yes, I have a long way to go, but I am here now and I’m not waiting anymore. I’m willing to show up, despite my fears.”

If you can be afraid, you can be brave. If you can have persistent fears of being useless, unworthy of love, or the that fear you will be trapped where you are forever, then you can also be aware of it, knowing it does not hinder you from climbing this mountain. It does not stop you going after that dream that is bigger than you. Fear might be a part of journey, but it doesn’t determine the course. There is bravery to be found right here, where you are, even when you don’t feel fearless.

You can still be brave.

More tomorrow..

Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols

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