The brave, heroic acts that receive the most acknowledgement are usually physical ones. Stories about people saving others from burning buildings or natural disasters. Animals rescued from certain death when found abandoned or abused. The daily, countless heroic acts preformed by city and government officials, accomplished as part of a normal work day. And yes, these acts are commended and recognized as good news we all savor (maybe not as often as they could be) — but are still not the bravest acts of all.
I believe true bravery is looking at your deepest fears, and being willing to ask the most courageous of all questions — why?
Now, a willingness to look at and explore the “why” behind what triggers a fear in you that may shake you to your core, is different than wallowing in a fear that prevents you from moving forward, clinging to a “victim” status. Real bravery is a willingness to truthfully look at a fear and acknowledge how deeply it’s impacting one if not many aspects of your life. And this is about more than analyzing a recurring theme or life pattern. It’s an open-hearted, genuine desire to get at the white-hot nerve that serves as the starting point of many fears, frustrations and mental and emotional blocks keeping you from exploring and opening up to true love and acceptance of the real you.
Pace and Process
But you need to work through the fear or fears in layers, kind of like walking up a tall mountain using switchbacks. At first it may not appear to the be the best or most direct way to personal evolution, but the additional value and insight you gain along the route is undoubtedly just as important as the destination of connecting with inner truth. And along the way as you discover new talents and awarenesses to carry along to the next switchback, you round the corner with a sense of self-pride and bigger freedom, at each and every life turning point.
Doing this kind of work is first and foremost for inner development and reaching a point of personal contentment, happiness and peaceful joy. But in doing this bravest of work for yourself, it’s shared and reflected among all of us. How you connect and communicate is transformed. The light you put out in the world is genuinely uplifting and inspiring, just by the act of being you. And as more people are open and willing to get internal and bravely ask themselves, why, then we are working towards the real evolution and change we all want.
One of my Fear “Biggies”
For me, trust is huge. Opening up my heart to graciousness from others, receiving it fully, and trusting that what I need and need to know will show up in divine timing. Why? Because aside from feeling let down by multiple situations and people in my life (as we all have in different ways), I understand that if I’m already afraid in the first place, I just see that same fear, mirrored in others around me. Despite my genuine heart and desire to connect to the truth of others, our mutual fear bites us both. They act differently, showing me what they think I want to see. I’m fearful of trusting the connection I’m seeing, and instead only see a glorified truth of who they are because I wasn’t trusting my own intuitive guidance, or may need to face my own fears about trust. See how that works? One core belief of how I trust that branches out in many directions and impacts everything.
And as this big personal fear has come to light over the last few years, I’m still in practice with acknowledging and embracing it so I can move to a new understanding of myself and what I want out of personal connections. I’m not saying I haven’t been side-tracked along the way, but even in the personally hurtful situations I’ve recently experienced, I have a new, clear trust in myself and abilities, taking that big fear down a notch or two.