Have you ever noticed that two people in conversation start to mirror one another? Perhaps, the person in the green shirt place their hands on their hips. A few moments later, yellow shirt’s hands are on hips, too.
Researchers claim this is a way we demonstrate that we’re listening, tracking, paying attention.
Interesting, right? We mirror one another.
Why is it that parents are so particular about the environments they place their children in? School systems are vetted carefully. Churches. Dance schools. Gyms. Whatever. Children show how susceptible we are to our environments.
If we are so likely to be affected by our environments and communities, it’s no wonder that bravery begets bravery. When I choose to be brave, that bravery challenges those around me to be brave too. Maybe it’s pure competitiveness…or maybe it’s inspiration, too.
I know that I’ve been in an aerial silks class where I watched a fellow student do a double dive. Her bravery made me grit my teeth, pump myself up with positive self-talk, climb up those silks, wrap for the double dive, and fly right into it. If it hadn’t been for her bravery, I would have done one dive at a time.
Bravery begets bravery.
“You have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.” – Katherine Center
(Thanks to Brene Brown and her The Gifts of Imperfection for sharing this quote with me)
So here’s the thing, leaning into bravery is so freaking hard. Lots of tension in this arena. And let’s be honest. Sometimes being brave means saying, “Hi, I need a full day of alone time.” Other times, bravery is sending one email to a “famous” book reviewer and asking them to consider your book for reviewing.
(And guys, if they say yes, you can’t control their feelings about your book. Maybe they’ll read it after reading the most epic book of their lives…that’s a hard book to follow.)
You know something that makes me so scared? Telling someone that they have food in their teeth. Yup. That totally makes my heart speed up and I flush warm.
Isn’t it silly that something so little requires bravery?
You know what else takes bravery? Asking for help!
I’m also so nervous about calling to order pizza, going though a drive-through, finding a parking spot in a new area, and those spinning doors (wait, don’t we call them “revolving doors”?). Gosh, you must think I’m ridiculous.
But you know what. I still do all of those things. Okay, okay. So I avoid some of them as much as I can.
Life requires so much bravery, and sure, we have a certain amount of bravery for each day. But, I think that when we see others being brave that pushes us to more bravery in our own lives.
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