The Three Commitments to Be Brave

When I think and reflect about the journeys of real life heroes, it is impossible not to think of them as truly brave. However, contrary to the "superhero" approach that we usually see in movies or comics, real life heroes are not, and should not be, defined as invincible. Like any of us, they are full of fears and uncertainties, they tremble to their very cores when dangerous situations are imminent, they hesitate and doubt, and they fail very often. But, if they are not invincible, what is it then what makes them heroes? Are they not too far beyond what anybody else can become or do in their lives? Is it not their work what becomes their legacy and the reason why we ever come to know about them? What makes them so unique?

It is true that we know many heroes for their deeds. However, we must not forget that their deeds are only the outcome of something that is bigger and stronger within them. It is their braveness, which sometimes is invisible to us, what makes them confront the adversities and challenges of life and become excellent role models to the rest of us. It is their braveness what sets them apart from the crowd. It is not their invincibility or infallibility, let alone their deeds. And where does this braveness come from? These heroes are truly committed to their purpose, and that is its essence.

Braveness, then, is perhaps one of the most interesting characteristics of those who pursue their dreams and purpose. Real life heroes know that the road to achieve those dreams is full of challenges and adversities, and they need much more than the belief that they can’t fail or that they are invincible. They trust that something greater will come once they bravely face their challenges. And that makes them move forward more decidedly than ever. It is in the darkest hours of their lives when their spirits and minds are put to the hardest tests we can ever imagine. And it is then when being brave becomes the very asset that fills them with full strength to continue the journey.

But braveness requires many commitments. It doesn’t stand alone or come as a gift or talent with which we are born. It needs to be nurtured and nourished through life, especially during difficult times. And as I reflect upon the lives of science, peace and war, politics and business, economy and social heroes, at least three life-changing commitments come to mind in order to nurture our own personal braveness. Each of these commitments is very powerful in itself, and together they create a potent recipe to boost our braveness and strengthen our spirits and minds.

Commitment 1: Overcoming our fears

The first thing to say about fears is that we all have them. Whether we are regular people or heroes, we all have our fears... even Superman fears kryptonite! But fear should not be an obstacle in our journeys. Overcoming our fears requires that we identify them and acknowledge them, embracing and understanding their nature, increasing our awareness about them, and then finding ways to live with it and move on. We can’t overcome our fears if we don’t accept that we have them. And we can’t accept that we have them, if we don’t know what they are. Braveness is not about the lack of fears in our lives, but about creating the inner strength to continue our life despite them and their presence.

Commitment 2: Letting go

This is perhaps one of the most difficult commitments to foster our braveness. Letting go isn’t about forgetting, neglecting or ignoring the facts and events of life, whether negative or positive. Letting go is about learning from all that happens to us, and using that knowledge to continually become better. It just impossible to face the adversities in life if all we have in mind is the negative experience from the last time we fail. Braveness requires us to let go of those things that not only keep us within the comfort zone, but that prevent us to actualize and develop our potential. I’ve heard many people blaming their bad fortune to events in the past. Some of them continually belittle themselves by allowing those events to shape their future. Well, hear me out! Your past is not what determines your future. What you do with your past is what potentially hinders or propels you to the greatest things waiting ahead for you. Braveness depends on our commitment to let things go.

Commitment 3: Getting up when we fail and fall

Failing is one of those events of the past that we need to let go, but not without squeezing every single bit of positive information and knowledge out of them. Falling is not a bad thing, as long as we can learn from it. I haven’t met or studied any successful individual who hasn’t had a fair share of difficulties and failure in their lives. It sounds cliché, but it is true. Although I don’t think that we need to fail in order to succeed, I do think that failing doesn’t prevent us from succeeding. Since for the overwhelming majority of us, success comes in the form of hard and smart work, creativity and imagination, it is necessary to be ready for the possibility of failure. And braveness helps us get through it, only we are able to quickly get up and learn from our failures, and continue the journey. 

In Summary

When I think about braveness and staying committed to the Three Commitments, the example of Yusra Mardini, the Syrian swimmer refugee, comes to mind. Yusra was part of the Olympic Refugee Team, and she got there not only by being a fantastic athlete but, more importantly, because she saved the lives of 20 people who were on the brink of drowning. She was full of fear and doubts, she thought about the potential for failure (which, in this case, was a life or death situation), yet she was able to overcome those fears, letting go any negative thought about the dangers ahead, and trudging along the difficulties and small failures she faced in the 3-hour journey from the moment she jumped in the water to push a boat full of refugees, to the moment she touched land again. She is a hero, because she was brave and she practiced the three commitments.

We can all become heroes, our own personal heroes. But it doesn’t have anything to do with not fearing, not failing or not losing. It is all about personal braveness to achieve our dreams, and realize our potential. And to reach that level, it is necessary that we overcome our fears by acknowledging them and learning to live and move on knowing that they might be around for longer than we’d like them to. It is also fundamental to learn from the experiences of life as much as we can, and letting go of those things that keep us attached to the past or entrenched in a position from which we can’t renew ourselves or move forward. Finally, it is important to understand that, most of us, will eventually fail. And it is not failure what prevents us from succeeding, but dwelling in it without getting up.

Each of these three commitments is life-changing, and, therefore, require a lot of energy to commit to them. And, isn't our life is worth committing to braveness?

Follow me on Twitter: @erubio_p

Visit my blog: www.innovationdev.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author: Enrique Rubio is an Electronic Engineer and a Fulbright scholar with an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Enrique is passionate about leadership, business and social entrepreneurship, curiosity, creativity and innovation. He is a blogger and podcaster, and also a competitive ultrarunner. Visit the blog: Innovation for Development and Podcast. Click here to follow Enrique on Twitter. 

Disclaimer: opinions are my own and not the views of my past or current employer.