Read the latest from SAP today. Stay inspired and motivated.

Do You Lack Bravery

Bravery and courage are qualities of a great person. Simply, they creates greatness. Do you have them? Do you lack bravery? Lack of courage can limit you from doing things and living a fulfilling life. Without courage, you’ll suffer more. Your life can be great if you have bravery.  Have you ever felt that lack of courage is holding you back from reaching your dreams and goals? When you think of reaching your dreams, do you feel that you don’t have what it takes? Bravery is an advanced skill in life to use to overcome a lack of self-confidence. But, what kind of courage do you actually need?  If you feel that you lack courage, don’t assume that your feelings are based on personal inadequacy. There are lots of reasons why courage is an issue in life and many of them relate to conditioning. Society teaches people to have doubt in their hearts. All of this is part of the conditioning process, designed to make you dependent rather than independent.   How to Build Courage  The good thing about lack of bravery is that you can learn to be braver. Proof of this can be found in any instance of overcoming fear. But having courage doesn’t mean that you need to ignore fear because that is ignorant. Courage is all about finding the strength to move forward with the presence of fear.  Learning how to be courageous doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid. Simply, it’s learning to do things despite the fear that you feel. Here are some tips you can use to overcome your lack of bravery.  Don’t Fight Your Fear  Being courageous means doing things despite the presence of fear.  Fear is the body’s natural response to the brain’s flight response. The brain send’s cortisol to the nervous system causing the body to go into a state of hyper-drive. Bravery, fearfulness, and courage are learned behaviors. It is based on your brain’s chemistry and strengthened by the world that surrounds you.  If you fight fear, it will make you stronger. If you suppress negative emotions, they will only heighten the negative emotions and fear. The more you avoid them, the more they become stronger. On the contrary, exposing yourself to your fears can make you train your brain to be desensitized to them and allow you to face them easier. Do not hesitate as this will only result in excuses that will stop you from facing your fears. If you are about to ask someone on a date, catch a spider, or jump out of an airplane, do it without hesitation. After you have dealt with your fear, you can reinforce your success by treating yourself to a reward. This can be a break from interacting with other people or a physical treat.  Talk to Your Family and Friends about Your Fear  Talking to someone about your fears can help you articulate the source of your fear and realize that it really isn’t as scary as they thought. You can pay a licensed therapist a visit if you wish to seek professional advice. If not, there are websites and online forums where you can talk about your fears anonymously.  Be Mindful  Mindfulness means that you must be present in the world, both outer and inner. It can help you train your brain to deal with your fears in more effective ways. Mindfulness can be learned by doing meditation. Meditation can make you aware of both your mental and exterior state. When you feel that you are overwhelmed by fear, simply remember the practices that you have learned from meditation and mindfulness and this will keep you stronger than your fear.  Get Out of Your Comfort Zone  The mere thought of stepping out from your comfort zone takes a lot of courage, and doing so can lead to anxiety. But, this is one of the best ways to learn courage. If you keep on doing the same thing every day in a routine, you are in your comfort zone. But, if you do things that you don’t normally do, it can help you cope with the unexpected things in life and this is the time when lots of fear comes over you.