When you are staring at choices around stepping out of your comfort zone, both big and small, which do you choose: courage or comfort?

E.E. Cummings said it best. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

I have long felt intense, “convincing” fear around all sorts of things. You’re human, and thus so have you.

Fear of success, fear of failure. Fear of living fully in my most expansive self, fear of playing it too small. Fear of “what will others think” to “what do I lose when I care about what others think”? Fear of big changes, fear of no changes. And more.

Just when I begin to dance with greater levels of empowerment and standing in my truth, self-doubt and fear get LOUD. “You’re not safe, danger ahead! The rug will be pulled out from under you, bad things will happen!” Bravery: Our hearts rely on it for everything worthwhile, and our reptilian brains fight it.

Fear is a gripping force to reckon with, it lurks in the shadows of the narrative that tells you safety exists by staying tight in your bud.

Safety that is fear-based is chosen at the expense of living your deep desires, full-on and full-in. If being and becoming all you’ve been born for is tossed in the name of safety, it’s an epic fail.

Are you willing to dance with discomfort (temporarily) for the sake of your own expansion? Facing such intense emotion (fear) isn’t easy, and yet it’s crucial. The bigger the life vision, the more you’ll fear. Courage and bravery are non-negotiable for a life well lived.

When in doubt, ask Maya Angelou for North Star wisdom. “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

Artwork: “I Am Brave. Are you?”, mixed media on canvas, 12” x 12”

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