Cultivating Bravery in Everyday Life

How to be brave - 7 traits of a brave person

To cultivate bravery in your own life, make sure to set clear boundaries with others and take care of yourself first. Get out of your comfort zone and set goals that you feel you can achieve. Don’t neglect your inner health, either. Remember to meditate and practice positive self-talk so you can bring your best self forward into the world.

Brave People:

1. THEY ALWAYS STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT, EVEN IF THEY’RE STANDING ALONE.

A person who displays courage will never hesitate to stand up for others or voice their beliefs even if they have an unpopular opinion. Bravery doesn’t just mean physically coming to the aid of others; it means using your voice to speak up about wrongdoings. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” We can see a perfect example of this right now with the Black Lives Matter movement, and MLK would undoubtedly be proud.

If you have a brave person in your life, you will feel you can always go to them for the truth about a situation. They won’t ever sugarcoat things or make everything out to be butterflies and rainbows, because they want the best for you. Brave people put the well-being of others first, and keep them out of harm’s way. They never use their courage to hurt others.

2. THEY STICK TO THEIR MORALS AND DON’T GIVE IN TO PEER PRESSURE

A brave person doesn’t care what other people think of them. They follow their moral compass, and if they don’t want to participate in an activity, they will politely let their friends or family know. For instance, if a person goes to a party and doesn’t drink, but their friends urge them to, they still have no problem saying no. Real friends don’t stop being your friend because of differing beliefs anyway.

3. A BRAVE PERSON WILL SHOW KINDNESS TO EVERYONE THEY MEET.

Kindness takes a lot more courage than hate. It takes a lot of strength to quell your fears and fully open your heart to others. If you listen to most conversations today, you’ll probably hear gossip and superficial topics being brought up some of the time. A brave person never talks about people behind their backs. They speak lovingly to everyone, whether in person or conversation with someone else.

They treat others how they wish to be treated. Of course, they make mistakes like everyone, but most of the time, they have a kind, poised demeanor.

4. THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LIVES.

A brave person does not shift the blame for their problems onto others. They take full responsibility for the problems in their life and do what they can to correct them. A person full of courage would never make others feel small so that they can feel more significant. They own up to their mistakes and acknowledge what they need to work on.

5. BRAVE PEOPLE KNOW WHEN TO SAY “NO.”

A courageous person knows when to back down from something, whether it’s a work project, activities after school or work, or even a friendship. They don’t feel bad for doing what’s best for them, as long as it doesn’t hurt others. If they’ve taken on too much at work, for instance, they wouldn’t hesitate to tell their boss “no” if he or she assigns them another task. They consider everyone’s feelings, but ultimately, they know they can’t keep giving from an empty cup.

6. A BRAVE PERSON KNOWS WHEN TO ASK OTHERS FOR HELP.

They also know that they can’t accomplish everything alone. Courageous people don’t feel bad about asking other people for help, because they know pride can quickly alienate them. They’ve banished any thoughts of shame or guilt about asking other people for help. As they say, everything gets done a lot quicker when we work together.

Brave people understand that while some things must get done alone, you just can’t accomplish specific tasks by yourself. They have a supportive group of people to reach out to when they need something, and they would do the same for others.

7. THEY SEE THEIR IDEAS AND PLANS THROUGH TO THE END.

A courageous person doesn’t fold on their plans. They have a vision, and nothing in the world will stop them from achieving their goals. They make sure that their dream will positively impact others as well, and if not, they shift their goals so everyone benefits. A person with courage will not let minor setbacks and obstacles keep them from their final destination.

After all, what dreams got accomplished without blood, sweat, and tears? Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily, and the bravest people know this. However, they don’t allow any fears to stop them; they simply work through the fears and expand their comfort zones.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO HAVE MORE COURAGE:

Get out of your comfort zone. Talk to new people and do kind things for them. Set goals and don’t stop until you achieve them. Know when to set boundaries with people or projects. Have positive self-talk. Meditate.

Four Habits to Improve Mental Health

Adapted from an article published by "Power of Positivity."

Our habits can influence our neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine/noradrenaline, serotonin, GABA) and, in so doing, improve the state of our mental health.

1 – OBSERVE YOUR MIND

“You have the power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”~ Marcus Aurelius

Metacognition is actively observing your mental processes and understanding habitual emotional reactive patterns. It’s also a crucial component of good mental health.

If you’ve ever sat back and wondered why in the heck your mind is making so much noise, then you know what metacognition is. You’ve also made a crucial and potentially life-changing discovery: you are not your mind or feelings.

Rather, you are the awareness behind the thoughts and feelings. When you recognize and embrace this fact, you can observe the activity of our mind at a distance – as a passive ‘witness.’ You may even start to get curious about the inner-workings of your mind, and it’s this attitude that will lead to a transformation.

While it’s possible to observe your mind amid daily life, it’s often difficult – especially at first. This is where a regular meditation practice can help.

Try taking 15-20 minutes at the start of each day to sit and allow your mind to become quiet.

2 – SLOW DOWN

“The soft overcomes the hard. The slow overcomes the fast.” ~ Lao-tzu

Okay, so this sounds like commonsensical gibberish nonsense. “What? Slow down? That’s it?”

Okay, then why do we fail at things repeatedly?

Reason #1: society has taught us that frenzied action is the same as productivity. Not only is this untrue, but it’s also potentially disastrous to our mental and physical health.

Slowing down – more specifically, not rushing – can have a powerful impact on our state of mind. Things still get accomplished, and with much less stress. Often, you’ll find that slowing down and focusing on one task at a time (see ‘Single-tasking’ next) not only improves the quality of your work but, ironically, can increase the pace at which things get done!

Practice performing one task a day slowly. Put all of your attention on the job – washing the dishes, showering, vacuuming, etc. – and while doing the activity gradually and deliberately.

3 – SINGLE TASK

“He did each single thing, as if he did nothing else.”   ~ Charles Dickens

Few things have been more damaging to our state of mind than multitasking. How harmful is it? Well, per a study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University, participants who multitasked using multiple forms of entertainment media “showed symptoms of anxiety and depression” based on mental health surveys.

Did you get that? Multitasking – even with entertainment – causes symptoms that mimic those of anxiety and depression!

The truth of the matter is that not only is multitasking a myth; it’s also stress-inducing and harmful.

The human brain simply is not meant for multitasking. When we perform a job, our neural circuitry is concentrated around that task – and that task only. It is incapable of diverting mental resources to a secondary task.

Unless, say, we’re talking about chewing gum and walking at the same time.

Instead, make it a habit to focus your attention single-mindedly on each task. Not only is this a more effective way of living, but it’s also much more peaceful.

4 – BE COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS YOURSELF

“If compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”  ~ Jack Kornfield

Most people have good hearts. Although the media may try to convince you otherwise (their motto is “Bad news sells” after all) there is plenty of good happening in the world.

Since most people have good hearts, most of us are compassionate by nature. When someone is visibly hurting, we will often try to comfort and console.

But one problem that so many of us have is this: we don’t extend our compassionate nature to ourselves.

Indeed, each one of us is our own worst critic. We don’t even think about self-compassion. Many people live their entire lives without ever once practicing self-love or compassion.

To deny yourself some compassion is not only wrong; it is harmful to your mental wellbeing.

How do you practice self-compassion? Try picturing yourself as a child. If you have a picture of when you were a kid, take a good look at it.

Would you ever want this individual to suffer? Of course not. Talk to that inner child with compassion and love. How do you feel during and afterward?