I love being brave.  Especially now, that I live the bravery becomes you way. But before I started this journey I thought I loved being brave. I’ve always liked doing things my own way, taking risks to go for what I want. Closed doors never stopped me (especially when I was looking for work). But what I finally realized is that I liked being brave up to a point. I’m only half brave. I have a bravery set point that I never cross when I feel vulnerable, insecure of afraid. It’s that well known comfort zone which we all realize is actually really uncomfortable when you know you’re turning down growth, adventure and opportunity. But in the past, I simply said NO and often found myself sitting on the sidelines, trying to be happy with my NO, when in fact I really wanted to answer the call to be more.  The paradox?  I loved being brave, but I didn’t like being scared.  At all!! I was only half brave. I discovered how much I resisted fear during my camping road trip last summer. Riding down a lonely dirt road looking for a place to set up camp, just went against the grain of my safety.  What about bears?  Bugs.  And the darkness of night.  What about no itinerary?  What about hiking that not only tested my knees, but I wasn’t sure I could handle.  There were a few slippery slopes that resulted in tears as the altitude stole my breath and tested my endurance. For the most part, it turned out I just had to get used to what I didn’t know.  I was scaring myself.  But as I began to test my fears, I discovered I was okay.  I also found out that I can still say NO when I want to.  Except now, bravery becomes you had turned into an amazing navigation system for deciding…”what’s next” on my terms.  So now, when something I’m not sure about shows up, I simply ask my self, “how will I feel if I don’t do this?  how will I feel if I do?”  Looking back, I’m so proud of myself that I decided to give fear a chance.   Because when I did,  I was so energized that I broke through my fear threshhold, and found I could hardly wait for another opportunity to be brave.  And every time I got over some fear, I was always left wondering “what was I worried about in the first place?”  Freedom from fear and fear ruling my experiences changed everything.  Now I’m aware of new adventures.  I welcome them.  And because I’ve changed, things have also changed for me, because opportunities to test my worries show up.  And now I can’t wait. What fun!  My new mantra?  Let the adventures begin (on my terms)!