100 years ago we heard the rallying call of ‘‘Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere’’ by Millicent Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst ‘’Deeds Not Words’.
Last week we heard “The Call to Courage’ from Brene Brown as she launched her brilliant Netflix talk and weeks before the inspirational activist Greta Thunberg implored us all to wake and to save the planet. To realise ‘It is still not too late to act. It will take a far-reaching vision, it will take courage’.
What all 4 of these incredible women, their journeys, thinking and leadership have in common are the very ingredients upon which Be Braver is built. They are the reason I created it, why I believe we need it and the evidence every single one of us needs to recognise we are all ordinary people capable of extra-ordinary things. They are why I sit here today writing this wearing a ‘Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere’ necklace (@tattydevine).
Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere “Tatty Devine’’
‘‘I would rather be a rebel than a slave’’ @mancsy
So, I’ve felt compelled to attempt to share my thinking, I write so many things and never post them but this seems to demand I am courageous as there is a life changing message for all of us here.
That is, we need to and can learn to Be Braver. Heaven knows I’ve had to. Yet in finding the key to courage and strength, that which we all have, comes with it growth and change beyond anything we could have imagined was possible. As all of the above women have proven. As have many more I could mention. As have I even. I, a most certainly ordinary person, who has achieved what is for me, my extra-ordinary....and that is only so far. So I know you can too.
With clarity of purpose, the confidence to follow it and the courage to take risks and step out of your comfort zone you’d be amazed at what you are really capable of achieving.
Finding purpose in my own life led to Be Braver. For me, it was about being able to make a meaningful impact to the lives of those lacking confidence and courage in the world but I stumbled across something far bigger.
A framework, a model, a theory, a programme that shows how it is possible to show up and be the most fearless and creative version of yourself you can be. A better leader, a happier person, a more fulfilled individual.
Whether it is in the spaces of my own passion agendas around equality, diversity, the environment or within an organisations culture or an individuals life - all of these areas can experience accelerated growth when individuals understand their capacity and the strategies we can put in place to Be Braver. To achieve more.
In raising this conversation, in showing more people how it is possible, in the work with my Clients, in running programmes, I see Be Braver enabling more of us to act courageously and bring about the change we so desperately need to see in our lives, our organisations, our families and our environment.
We still need so much more brave and bold change for good. Why we need the Greta's and the Brene's flying the flag for courage and daring us to to do more. Every single one of us, are responsible for bringing about the change we seek for ourselves, our families, our teams and our planet. We all need courage and we all need deeds not words.
Where Brene Brown talks about vulnerability, I talk about overcoming fear, but we both talk about courage and we both recognise that for individuals, organisations and leaders to be creative and innovative, to create environments where people want to follow their lead, we need to be vulnerable, we need to face our fears and we need to take risks.
We need to have the right beliefs about ourselves and the world with a healthy dose of resilience so we can fail forwards. Plus I always say you need to find your tribe of cheerleaders to lift each other up so we collectively rise up.
We need to be authentic, be ourselves, not a model of who we think we should be, because it's only when we are living truthfully and showing up as the person we truly are will we find the courage to fight, lead, grow, fail and try again.
Writing this takes courage, I’m know I’m no writer, but letting go of perfectionism and taking calculated risks has become my new happy place. Its liberating and rewarding when it pays off, and when it doesn’t - I learn and move on. When it works I also learn - it’s a win win.
Being courageous is the place where change and growth happens. It’s where we can realise a dream, where we develop ideas, are creative and adventurous. We all need to Be Braver - and if you think you can’t be, I tell you, you can. And I can show you how. Not only that, I promise you, you will want to practice it daily, you will see remarkable growth and the world will be a better place for it.
Courage and solidarity always
Caroline x