I HEREBY PRONOUNCE YOU "BRAVE BIRD"

Let’s play a game. Fill in the blank.

Every day I am afraid of __________________, and every day I show courage by _______________________.

That’s compliments of Erin Stutland, that brilliant life coach and personal trainer that always has words of wisdom when I need them.

I know many of you have read my post DON’T BE SCURRED! JUMP ON AND RIDE! In that post I talked about the kind of fear that keeps you from taking action.

Today I want to talk to about bravery. I don’t think we often realize that showing up for life, even when things aren’t perfect is an act of courage. As Erin Stutland so brilliantly pointed out in an email to her readers today, often these are the times we beat ourselves up thinking that feeling stuck is a sign of weakness, i.e. “Why can’t I just let it go?" "What’s wrong with me?" "Why can’t I just let myself be happy?” When actually these are the moments when we are displaying the most courage by making the earnest attempt to be authentic, continuing to work toward your goals, showing up for work, for meetings, making decisions, being present for a friend, etc…despite the fact that you aren’t feeling 100% your best self.

WOW!! GO YOU! That takes some cojones, if I may say so!!!  

Feeling stuck, things not going well, experiencing disappointment, etc…are all necessary parts of life. Going through these moments are not signs of weakness. On the contrary, going through these moments means that you are alive! Congratulations!! 

If you have also done the very natural thing of beating yourself up or pressuring yourself to get over it, and you are still waking up everyday and attempting to give your life every ounce of what you’ve got, think about the bravery that takes. In fact, you are a courageous being.

Alright. I’m taking it to a more personal level.  I’ve been off of facebook for 15 days now. I’m going to be off for all of March. While I have experienced the good that my fb absence has brought to my life, I also feel so OUT OF THE LOOP. I know that this is an illusion. Any information I need to know can be found from other sources. As a matter of fact, I like the challenge of actually needing to call, text, or email someone I’m thinking about instead of thinking about them, snooping their fb page momentarily until something else distracts me and then forgetting all about them (yup. That was a confession). Yet, not being on facebook keeps making me think that so much is going on without me.

I have to regularly confront my FOMO: FEAR OF MISSING OUT.  It has brought up feelings of being left out as a kid, fears of being friendless, and all kinds of vanity about “if anyone even misses me.”  Usually I flood my mind with words like “YOU’RE MISSING THE POINT, JOY!”  “IT’S JUST FACEBOOK!” “GET OVER IT!” And beat myself up for not being more enlightened. Yet and still, I stick to my plan. Despite feeling lonely and out of the loop and despite the fact that it’s super easy to re-activate an fb account and I know I could do it any moment that I’m on a computer, I continue my work and keep my eye steady. This may be very small, but it takes courage.

The small acts of inner courage matter. We are brave everyday. Yet, we so infrequently give ourselves credit, thinking that being afraid or in any way not perfect means that we’re missing the mark. Just the fact that you continue in the face of your fear is an act of courage.

You already have shown so much courage by making the choice to live life with an open heart. Facing difficulty is not a sign of weakness. I am in awe of the bravery you show when you continue on your path even when you experience fear and doubt. Acknowledge that. Praise that.

With that, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite songs by Amel Larrieux, Brave Bird,  and the way to find more Erin Stutland. I adore her wisdom and thank her for the inspiration for today’s JOY IN THE CITY. Maybe we’ll take one of her classes together someday soon? I think it’s time for me to meet one of heroes in the flesh. Be well, my friend!  

How to find Erin Stutland- www.ErinStutland.com/twitter: @estutland