How to Be Brave
One of the main reasons we often lose out on opportunities is due to embarrassment.
You’d be surprised by how many opportunities are lost due to being afraid of what others think.
Another reason is simply due to lacking awareness.
When you lack awareness, you have no clue what an opportunity looks like.
We often chase certain things.
While in reality, it’s not even defined in our mind’s eye.
The reason I say we LOSE opportunities due to embarrassment is that this is a different case.
In this situation, we know exactly what we want.
However, fear is holding us back.
Courage is a weapon in the real world.
It often favors the bold. The ones who are willing to put themselves out there for the greater good.
But the question is, can anyone develop courage?
Yes.
When you look closely, you begin to realize anything worth getting in this world is a SKILL.
Which means you can learn some fundamentals & practice from there.
Learning how to be brave is a lifelong process.
It constantly requires a growth mindset which needs you to want more.
But just because you want more doesn’t mean you don’t show gratitude for how far you’ve come.
Today, you my friend, will be learning how to be brave.
Bravery 101
Typically, the ego paints a very cartoonish version of bravery.
We picture an individual who never gets scared.
The ‘macho man’ who faces any conflict without any internal friction.
While in reality, this isn’t the case.
In the real world, without tension in your internal world, you DON’T have bravery.
It’s okay to feel nervous before you are about to be brave.
Read the above line one more time.
It’s not only okay, it’s needed.
If you arent doing tasks that are making you feel a level of friction internally, that means your life is in repeat mode.
You’re just unaware of that.
You may be carrying out habits or have blocks that are taking you from taking it to the next level.
Bravery 101 requires you to understand that feeling nervous is a part of the process.
It’s actually the compass of where you should be going.
When you internalize this concept, you begin a new journey towards learning how to be brave.
Is Bravery Ingrained or Cultivated?
Both.
Bravery is ingrained (to a certain extent) AND cultivated.
We are meant to keep building it over time.
It’s a seed that gets planted & watered with nurture.
The seed is automatically planted for us.
A young child is often fearless.
They experiment & don’t give fucks about opinions in sight.
That’s because they aren’t thinking too much.
They are just doing.
‘What changes?’
What changes is society.
Humans that become a functioning member of society are required to take up certain behaviors for decorum.
The behaviors come with a lot of social norms that require elevated mental faculties.
And if you don’t follow these social norms?
Then you will be judged.
Humans are naturally very sensitive to mean opinions of them.
Our ancient ancestors were pretty much sentenced to death when they were ostracized from their tribe.
Being solo in those days opened you up to attack from wild animals and rival tribesmen.
However, we aren’t living in ancient times anymore.
But we still carry age old beliefs about worrying about other people’s opinions.
The child that was once fearless now second-guesses a lot of moves.
Why?
Because they focus too much on the external rather than the internal.
Time to flip that.
What Wakes You Up
I always found it funny that a black sheep was considered a bad thing.
But if you think about it…
If I see a black sheep, I’d think it was awesome.
All sheep are white.
How dope is it to see something out of the ordinary?
Like a pink rhino.
‘What exactly are you getting at Armani?’
Well, what’s wrong with being different?
When you seriously ponder this question, you awaken a sleeping giant.
Your entire adulthood, you were sleep-walking thru life.
Most people are.
Look around you.
Most people are just executing habits without further growth.
Ordinary humans are either content or scared.
Not hating on em though.
But if you have a desire for more, don’t let the fear of being different be what holds you back.
Picture yourself on your deathbed recalling back your life.
Are you wondering ‘Gee…I wonder what Frankie from high school is thinking of me right about now?’
Fuck no.
The same people who you are fear of being judged by are worrying about their own fears at the moment.
You are simply scared of an illusion.
This is when you began embrace being different.
You want to be the black sheep, because that is what allows you to carve out your own unique path in life.
This is what sparks the beginning of a potential legacy.
What to Be Brave About
An unchecked mind is restless.
It wants everything.
When you feed the ego, it gets hungry again within seconds.
Which is why you want to ask yourself: what is it that you want to really be brave about?
In context of my life, it was public speaking.
I had a big fear of getting in front of a crowd. But I DESIRED to improve that part of me.
So that’s what I decided to work on.
I am scared of swimming with sharks too.
But I have no desire to implement that in my life.
Some people get brave about random stuff.
That’s just an adrenaline junky.
Not roasting them or anything.
But the type of bravery which allow you to level up is the type of bravery that you need to be somewhat introspective about.
Just ask yourself what it is.
When you find that thing, lock into it.
You have your target.
Execution Mode
From the beginning, I recommend you turn overcoming a fear into a game.
Remember earlier how I said that a young kid is fearless?
That’s because they view life in a game.
- When you are playing games, you aren’t trying to be brave.
- Instead, you are executing an activity & bravery is a byproduct.
Major paradigm shift.
Break down the game into levels.
And keep working your way up.
For me, when I was learning public speaking…
Level 1 was simply finding a Toastmasters club near me.
And Level 2 was getting my butt in a seat of one of the clubs.
You may think that was easy.
But for me, level 1 was easy. Level 2 was hard.
I had gone to a Toastmasters meeting beforehand.
But I ended up choking a speech.
So going back to take care of unfinished business sparked a lot of uncomfortable feelings in me.
But who cares.
Eventaully, I executed level 2.
I didn’t actually even give an official speech till Level 5.
But you get the principle, right?
You are CULTIVATING bravery.
Each level that you conquer allows you to not only plant the seed, but keep on watering it.
Another analogy is laying down 1 brick at a time to build a house.
The game method allows you to break down fears which mean a lot to you in life.
And then conquer it like a G.
The more you exercise your courage muscle, the more you learn how to be brave in other parts of your life.
You start feeling free.
Bravery gives you wings
The more you invest in a field that once terrified you, the more you unlock hidden qualities.
We all have greatness in different ways.
But we only begin uncovering it once we quit caring about opinions so much.
Others are always going to have opinions.
But view opinions like money.
Would you trade in a dollar for a penny?
‘No.’
Exactly, because you can tell the difference in value.
Same thing is the case in the real world.
Some opinions are worth a lot. Like constructive criticism.
And others aren’t worth shit.
You’ll be able to distinguish between opinions the braver that you become.
Conquer your fears one level at a time.
You only get one shot at life.
Live it right.
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