Bravery
is having the courage to act despite risk or challenge. This means having the physical or moral courage to act, to help others, or to uphold a higher purpose, despite the consequences. Physical courage is choosing to act despite the possibility that you could be hurt. Moral courage is standing up for what you believe to be right, even if it's not popular. Mental courage involves overcoming your own fear or anxiety.
Simple Ways to Practise Bravery
- 1. Take a piece of paper and draw a ladder with 10 rungs
- 2. Consider the situation that causes you anxiety and give it a number between 1 (hardly anxious at all) and 10 (very anxious).
- 3. Write a description of the situation on the corresponding rung of the ladder, 1= bottom rung; 10 = top rung
- 4. Imagine you're at the bottom of the ladder. Consider a situation that is related to the one you've written at the top of your ladder, but gives you no more anxiety than a 1 or a 2 on the scale. This might be something you're able to do already, or may be the first step you'll take towards overcoming your fear.
- 5. Consider appropriate situations that give some anxiety, on each rung in-between.
- 6. This is your personal plan to overcome your fear, practise each step several times until you're confident with it before moving on to the next rung of the ladder.