What does it mean to be brave?

Over Christmas break, my boyfriend and some mutual friends came to New Jersey for New Years. Important mention: I have a two year old jack russell that is my absolute baby. Any who, Milo was completely terrified of the visitors. I had never seen Milo so scared before. He was tail between legs, whole body shaking, making whimpering noises, scared. He had nothing to be worried about, these people are my closest friends and were concerned for him as well but I thought the whole situation was interesting.

My puppy was ridiculously afraid but would not leave me. As my boyfriend was saying goodnight to me, Milo was hiding behind me not taking his eyes off Tyler. He was so scared yet there in case he had to protect me; I looked at Tyler and said, “My puppy is the bravest.” He laughed at this. My boyfriend is a thrill seeker --he’s jumped off cliffs, he plays with snakes (no no no), he basically has no fear. Except I believe that weekend, Milo was the incredibly brave one. Milo’s whole body was telling him “run” but his little puppy mind knew there were more important things to do.

What does it mean to be brave? While something may scare us, it may not scare someone else. While Johnny Knoxville may seem brave for rollerskating with bulls because that’s something you may never do, it may of been no big deal to him. Using Knoxville as an example, simply because he’s the hottest older man ever, I don’t think it’s his stunts that make him a brave man but the fact he went out and made his own production company from the ground up. In my conclusion, being brave is relative to the person. Or dog! 

My senior year of high school, I got really sick. When you’re a teenager, you think you’re invincible and the world is yours. When I got sick I got knocked off of that pedestal. My whole world was flipped upside down and after two months of vertigo, I couldn’t remember a time the world wasn’t spinning. Before I got the virus, I wasn’t a dare-devil per say but I was much more open to possibly scary opportunities. After realizing I wasn’t invincible, fear was instilled in my mind. I even developed generalized anxiety disorder.

Being brave has a lot to do with your mind set. When I found out I had GED, I had the choice to use my disorder as an excuse or face my fears head on. Different individuals have different anxiety triggers but in particular mine are: talking to people, scheduling/planning, being alone, and new experiences. When I chose to not let me anxiety be a crutch, I accepted that it was going to be scary but I wanted to climb mountains, jump into the deep end of a pool, take life head on.

It was hard for my boyfriend to see Milo’s brave actions as that and he tries to understand when I’m exhausted after going to a party for ten minutes. These accomplishments that may seem small to him are huge in my eyes. I’m coming to understand that courageousness is about your fears and what you feel comfortable with. It may just be baby steps, but even baby steps can be brave. Milo had the option to flee from the situation just like I have the option to crawl up in my bed in a dark room when I’m afraid. What makes someone brave is accepting that life can be scary but you can’t run away from everything.

By letting fear control you, you are limiting yourself to a whole world full of possibilities. Take risks. Experience life. Be brave. For the upcoming year, make a promise to yourself that you are going to do the things that scare you. In the end, you’ll be so proud you accomplished them and find out that they weren’t all that scary. So, what does bravery mean to you? Is it standing up for what you believe in? Is it doing something dangerous? Or is it chasing after your dreams? I think it’s all three and more. It’s about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone because you know the end result is worth it.