Reality Reflection: I Dare You

I read a lot, both fiction and non fiction, so when I see the same topic or phrase several times in a short amount of time, I pay attention. The phrase I saw this week? “I dare you.” Hearing that phrase may have brought you back to your childhood and having your buddies dare you, or playing ‘truth or dare’ with friends. Even as adults we sometimes say it in a playful context (often when drinking) with friends. But the context I read it in this week was all about being dared to play a bigger game; being dared to live bigger; and being dared to love, care and trust more.

When you’re challenged to take a dare, that’s exactly what it is: a challenge. It’s giving you the opportunity to do something bigger, different, unique, fun, strange, and out of the ordinary for you. Most of the time it’s silly and probably won’t have a lot of consequences or any impact on your future, because dares are usually about having a little ‘outside the box’ fun.

But what if we turned this childhood idea into something that could be beneficial for adults? Just like we find benefit in asking questions and having a strong imagination as adults and kids? What if a little (or big) dare could help us become the people we dreamed we would be as kids? No, it’s not likely you’ll be able to realize your childhood dream of being the next Superman or Superwoman, but you can definitely become a better significant other, have a job that excites you at least on some level, be generally happy with life, and make a difference with your life.

If you’ve got some not great memories of dares from your younger days, you do need to conquer that fear first, so start with something small and not super threatening to see that dares can be healthy and beneficial, just like you start small with learning a new skill or losing weight or working out. Once you’ve got a few victories under your belt, then you can dare yourself bigger and bolder things. What will you dare to dream or do?

Lessons in Waiting

Today I want to pose a question to you: What are you waiting for?

I read this question the other day and it got me thinking about how life works and waiting. Sometimes you feel like life is stuck or you’re not sure what step to take next, and if you look behind that feeling of frustration you’ll probably find something that you’re waiting for. Maybe it’s something magical or spiritual that you’re waiting for, or maybe it’s simply a helping hand from a friendly stranger, or maybe it’s an age you are waiting to reach, or a deadline you set for yourself. Whatever it is, sometimes the biggest key to breaking through the frustration is realizing that you were waiting for something in the first place, because once you know you’re waiting, you’re able to get out there and work towards that goal or release that thing you’re waiting for.

There’s nothing wrong with waiting for things in life, I know it seems like society has tried to teach us otherwise, but waiting is a normal and healthy part of life. It teaches us that some things are worth waiting for (like Christmas each year), or that sometimes we have to earn things, or that sometimes when we wait we realize or find out that what we were wanting isn’t good or right for us. Waiting also gives us time to build relationships and put effort into things, rather than just having things handed to us and losing the substance that instantaneous often doesn’t create.

Waiting sometimes also gives us the opportunity to be brave and strike out on our own or take action to make things happen that wouldn’t get done or wouldn’t get done in a particular way if it was just handed to us. That time of waiting can help develop skills and confidence and expose us to things that we would miss out on otherwise, things that are crucial to our success or growth in the future.

So what are you waiting for today? Is it something you should take action on rather than waiting any longer? Is it something you should stop waiting for and move on to something else? Or is it teaching you patience and encouraging you to slow down in life? What are you waiting for?

Words of Bravery

In keeping with the theme for this month, today I thought we’d take a look at what some other people had to say about bravery:

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” J. K. Rowling

“Nothing is black or white, nothing’s ‘us or them.’ But then there are magical, beautiful things in the world. There’s incredible acts of kindness and bravery, and in the most unlikely places, and it gives you hope.” Dave Matthews

“Like timidity, bravery is also contagious.” Munshi Premchand

“We are built to love. Have the bravery to open the heart you have contracted from life’s disappointments. This is how the heroes roll.” Robin S. Sharma

“The world is not limited by IQ. We are all limited by bravery and creativity.” Astro Teller

“I don’t think that bravery is about skin. Bravery is about a willingness to show emotional need.”  Richard Gere

“If you want to change things, it requires bravery.” Naftali Bennett

“I feel like my secret magic trick that separates me from a lot of my peers is the bravery to be vulnerable and truthful and honest.” Katy Perry

“Bravery never goes out of fashion.” William Makepeace Thackeray

“I think bravery is to get on the ball and be bold enough and confident enough to try things when everyone is looking at you and the pressure is on and people are expecting you to win.” Michael Carrick

Let’s Be Brave Together

Back in January I shared that this year I’d be focusing on 2019 being a year of you and living in each day (as opposed to yesterday or tomorrow). We’ll be continuing that for the last 3 months of the year, and this month as we think about Halloween and related topics, I want to spend some time talking about bravery. The dictionary explains bravery and brave as possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance; valor; to defy; to challenge; to dare; boldness; and heroic. But there’s also another word that I see, and that’s magnificence.

That word is one of the reasons why I want to talk about bravery this month, because bravery makes you a better person. It makes you have some extra shine in your countenance, pep in your step, and an almost magnetic quality about you. Bravery not only motivates, inspires, encourages and empowers you, it can do the same for others in your circle or that come into contact with you or hear about your story.

Bravery can positively impact all areas of your life, from the TV you choose to watch to the company you keep to the career you have to the places you choose to go to the shopping choices you make. Bravery isn’t about blindly acting or even about doing dangerous stuff or going dangerous places, but about breaking through what holds you back, ending bad habits, making healthier decisions even if they’re hard, and finding the courage to try new things.

Being brave starts with one step, one action, one decision or one word. It can be as simple as saying no, asking for help, cleaning out a closet, opening your bills, or taking the time to talk with your partner each day (about more than the weather and not as an argument). How will you be brave today?