Being BRAVE
is often associated with risky daring exploits, the types immortalized by war
heroes and over hyped by the movies; be it a James Bond genre or a Rocky
series. More subtle variations of Bravery are displayed in spy thrillers and
select war movies. The classical view of bravery depicts Bold
Responsible
Action
Valued
Everywhere
and that is the epicenter of most of the exploits highlighted.
Far
too often bravery is portrayed or understood to mean undertaking death defying
challenges ostensibly for a just cause. The ultimate act of bravery is
epitomized and lauded when a person dies in the line of duty whilst battling
evil or enemies. Whilst there is no two opinions that flirting with death and
succumbing to it at times is the pinnacle of bravery, one should not mistake
that to be the only act of bravery. In daily life each of us is provided with a
variety of opportunities to display our bravery. Unfortunately most times we
prefer to choose soft options rationalizing that it is better to go with the
flow than stand up and be in the eye of a storm. Standing up to resist any form
of corruption would perhaps rank very high in the list of opportunities to be
brave. This could be closely followed by opportunities to speak up against injustice,
taking a principled stand on matters that need self regulation (eg. Following traffic
discipline or refusing to allow another to copy from you in an exam) or being brave
enough to own up ones mistakes.
Overcoming
our fears and anxieties would be best tackled by finding ones reserve of
bravery from deep within. Public speaking for example is widely accepted fear
for most people and it takes a lot of courage to bravely volunteer to face an
audience. You need to be doubly brave to repeat the performance in case you
messed up the first time. Where power equations are dominant, as in seniors and
juniors in academic institutions or in professional life where there is a boss
subordinate relationship, those on the lower echelons would have to have
display extraordinary bravery to resist the tyranny of those higher up in the hierarchy,
Similarly treading an offbeat path be it in a career choice, pursuing a passion
or dreaming big requires tremendous self belief and an even bigger slice of
bravery.
To
be BRAVE is not simply daring. It is daring
coupled with caution; calculated risk taking transcribed into action and
pushing the envelope when it matters most. That explains why one is seen as
brave when it is an outcome of a Bold Responsible Action Valued Everywhere.
Action Points:
- Outline 3-5 areas of concern within your immediate personal, social, professional or physical environment that irks you or irritates you. Now outline a proactive plan of action that you will implement to ensure that you take steps to address the issue.
- Have you ever tried to learn juggling/ magic/ card tricks/ cartooning/ singing/ cartooning? Pick 2 from the list that you have never attempted and bravely announce to your immediate family and friends that you will regale them with those new talents before the year end.
Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -
Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.
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