BRAVE

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.

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COURAGE

We experience real COURAGE when we Challenge Ourselves Utilize Resources And Get Empowered and this results in the triumph of our self belief over our inhibitions. Of course it is easier said than done partly because any form of courage requires us to overcome our fears but what impedes us most is our lack of self belief that by taking a courageous stand we can have some major bearing on the issues on hand. Another aspect that dampens our courage is our reluctance to commit ourselves and stay the course once we delve into it. Despite these obvious limitations we tend to display courage more often than we give credit to ourselves.

Broadly there are two types of courage we display – physical courage and moral courage. The former is more limited by our inability to confront the possibility of physical pain. The later thought is tougher because it involves making very conscious and possibly riskier choices with more damaging long term consequences. To understand this paradox we need to realize that we could have gone through both types of challenges to our courage when in school. Most times we wouldn’t mind taking on a bully or squaring up to a rough tackling opponent during the football matches but would be terrified of owning up to  the teacher when caught for some aberration like homework not being done or copying in an exam.

How does one become courageous? The answer lies partly in our upbringing, partly on our mental makeup but largely on our sense of fair play and justice. If one is brought up with a lot of freedom and acceptance and also encouraged to be daring without being a stupid risk taker chances are that one would be more forthcoming and decisive in ones thoughts and actions. Past experiences and a bit of genetics have an important bearing on our mental makeup, but it is possible that an independent thinking person will change for the better with time and determination. However it is the sense of fair play and justice that will ultimately have a major influence on the kind of courage we display. Maintaining balance is critical to display courage in the right measure. Being foolhardy and displaying stupid bravado is not courage and that is an important thought to be borne in mind.

So why is that we lack courage? At times we do experience the sharp pain of hurt, rejection, lack of understanding and loneliness when we embark on a courageous path. Often we find ourselves in a hopeless minority when we stand up for our principles or beliefs. The pain of isolation, the fleeting thought that maybe we are wrong, the overwhelming pressures brought on us by well meaning but perhaps misplaced views of the majority and the strain of furrowing a lonely path frighten us and we succumb to our inhibitions. Then there are threats to our limb an life which are too formidable to be ignored and too treacherous to be treated casually and the net result is that we give up our original courageous path.

Does this make us cowards? If we were to list out the times we have displayed our courage it would make for poor reading and the inference could be that we are cowards. The fault though is that we prune our list and do not list the daily acts of courage we display be it in simply being polite to a boorish person, standing up for our rights when palmed off with fault goods or being over charged, taking up for someone denied justice or simply exhibiting good sense when everyone is going berserk. These acts may not add up to much on the larger scale of courage as displayed by soldiers on the battle field or someone willing to face harassment and possibly being jailed for their own personal convictions. The real measure though is in displaying COURAGE continuously, consistently and courageously for then we Challenge Ourselves Utilize Resources And Get Empowered

Action Points:

1. Outline 3 situations in which you would have a very very tough time displaying personal courage. Also examine the possible reasons why you think you would not be able to exhibit your courage. 
2. Can you recollect 3 events / occasions in which you displayed personal courage. What was the feeling you experienced before, during and after the even happened?

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog

http://www.actspot.wordpress.com