The successes that mean the most in life tend to be the ones that are hardest won and that we have overcome obstacles to achieve. When things come easily we may undervalue the prize; when we feel safe we may stop challenging ourselves to grow and develop.
At the root of every successful endeavour lies the courage to face fears and take action. To grow and develop to our full potential we need to step outside the realm of our ‘normal’ behaviour and do something that stretches our boundaries, broadens our knowledge, raises adrenaline and challenges us to explore and discover new frontiers.
Being brave helps us to face up to anxiety and recognise it as a normal stage in learning something new. When self-sabotage raises its head and starts to ask “What if I fail?”, “Is it worth the risk?”, “Am I good enough?”, “Will I make it?” there is only one form of positive defence that will combat all known doubts – and that is to ‘adopt an attitude’ of bravery.
B – is for …
The Benefits of taking a brave action.
Breaking down the action into small stages.
Breaking through the negative barrier to success.
Belief that you can achieve the outcome. Your next success normally lies just outside your comfort zone.
E – is for …
Establishing your goals. Having a clear idea of why you want to achieve your goal and where it is leading you will drive your course of action and help you to be resilient under pressure.
Excuses – Pay close attention to buts, should, coulds, and if onlys. If you overcome the hurdles you put in your own way by focusing on what you want to achieve you will be more motivated to stride closer to your goal.
Emotions – In the words of Star Wars’ Yoda, “Named your fear must be …” You need to name your enemy before you can conquer it. You can’t just ignore your emotional and expect them to go away.
Encouragement - Who do you know and where can you go to fire up your enthusiasm to succeed?
Once you have the BE in place, you can start to build the BRAVE: B – is for …
Boldness – Surprise yourself by ignoring your anxieties and doing it anyway.
Behaviour can be chosen. Act ‘as if’ you are brave even if you are not feeling that way.
Borrow someone else’s style of presentation or attitude until you feel comfortable enough to develop your own.
Because – take action and decide to stretch yourself – just because you can.
R – is for …
Realism – Take time to identify which areas in life you would like to be braver. Perhaps you want to be a more effective public speaker. Break down your goal into realistic and manageable chunks. Even if you can visualise yourself stand in front an audience of 1,000, it is probably unwise to make that your initial target.
So start with 10 people; move up to 100; adjust your style – and so on.
Review your progress – What is the reality of your skills and performance? What do you do to adapt and improve? Testing and measuring your own progress will help to consolidate your skills.
Rehearse – There is a difference between being brave and being foolhardy. Some form of mental and practical preparation will help you to take calculated risks.
Regularity helps to consolidate knowledge and build on your skills. You need to practise new skills on a regular basis and to keep them alive and to build self-knowledge and confidence. Doing something once isn’t enough to change your behaviour.
Reinvent yourself. Adopt a ‘growth mindset’ that allows you to change and develop over time.
Relax and be yourself. Authenticity builds bravery.
Remember your positive qualities.
Learn to deal with Rejection because fear of being judged is the reason a lot of people aren’t brave.
Resilience helps you to turn setback into a comeback. It becomes your autopilot when obstacles are in your way.
Results are important. Monitor your progress and acknowledge success along the may.
A – is for …
Acknowledge how far you have come.
Treat life and an Adventure and have fun achieving your goals.
Attack your fears and achieve your ambitions in equal measure.
Anxiety is a natural part of learning. Recognise the value of the feeling. It shows you are getting mentally prepared. Find relaxing ways to becomes less anxious.
Attempt – Make a list of the things you would do, if you knew you couldn’t fail.
Ask yourself which of your goals do you feel most motivated to take steps to achieve?
Atmosphere – Create an environment of success that will support you in your endeavours.
Athletes know all about being brave. It’s all about having strength, stamina and remaining firmly focused on the goal.
V – is for …
Vision – Keep yours clear. Brave people have a motive. They know why they are being brave. They battle through because their end goal is crystal clear.
Visible – Create a vision board to remind yourself why you are motivated to make yourself uncomfortable and try new things.
Vocal – Talk about your vision, keep it alive.
Show Valour – Bravery begets bravery. If you show valour in your daily conversations, others will follow your lead.
Victory – Take time to celebrate your successes.
E – the final E is for …
Experience – What can you put down to experience?
Energy is the power of enthusiastic achievement and personal endeavour. It will get you past the finishing line.
End – The beauty of endings is that when one thing finishes another begins – so every ending is a new beginning, and a doorway to a new start. What ending are you ready to celebrate? Where will being brave take you next time?
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
