The Inspiration:
Let’s start by clearing something up … brave doesn’t mean unafraid. If being scared prevented people from being brave, very little would get accomplished. Women wouldn’t have the right to vote, there wouldn’t have been a Civil Rights Movement and we wouldn’t have made it to the moon. All of these great things happened in spite of being scared.
Another thing about being brave, it doesn’t require a monumental task. You don’t have to skydive, run with the bulls or climb a mountain. You don’t need to quit your job or move to a new place. Big, brave acts get a lot of attention and they definitely have measurable impact, but small acts of bravery are just as powerful; they add up and change lives – yours and those around you.
Brave is making the right decision at the right time, even especially when it’s hard. It’s getting out of your comfort zone, particularly when it’s in support of someone else or when it deepens your own personal knowledge. Brave can be taking yourself to dinner and a movie alone. Or volunteering with a youth group. It can be telling yourself a hard truth, admitting something that scares you. Being fearful and uncomfortable is expected but don’t stop. The discomfort is how you know you’re moving out of the comfort zone. Brave is afraid but does it anyway.
Start small and let it grow from there. The wonderful thing about taking that first brave step is that each step afterward gets easier. So, rest and regroup, as needed but keep going and keep pushing the edges of your comfort zone.
The T-shirt Design:
Inspired by the idea that bravery exists outside your comfort zone, the I AM BRAVE affirmation t-shirt features Elle walking into the unknown, unsure but confident. This is the step she’s waited years to take, her moment of action.
The Suggestions:
In order to find your own kind of bravery, try the following:
Brave is outside the comfort zone.
