What does it mean to be brave? There are lots and lots of definitions and ideas to what being “brave” actually is. And that’s ok as long as you know this – being brave isn’t the absence of fear. It doesn’t mean that fear doesn’t exist to you. That you are above being scared. That’s hardly the case. Being brave is walking through that sea of fear and kindly ask it to step aside. Being brave is walking side by side with the thing that scares you most instead of letting it stand in your way. In your way of a new adventure or in the way of you finally leaving a dreaded past.

Many people tell me I’m brave for going on with life the way I do. And I feel the need to clear this idea up. Being an amputee isn’t scary for me. Living life as a one legged mommy doesn’t make me brave because it’s not standing in the way of anything for me. I chose to not let it do that from the get go and have never looked back since then. There are some things in life you are naturally scared of like snakes or heights and there are some things in life that you choose to be scared of. And it’s the things that you choose to be afraid of and face it anyways that make you brave. It’s the things you face with others in mind as well as your own happiness that makes you brave. Being scared is not a bad thing. Because it means you have something to lose. And that something is usually something you worked hard for and hold near and dear to your heart. And that right there is something you should be proud of.

Being brave isn’t a one step process. It comes with lots of levels and sub levels. In my eyes, just walking amongst the fear is being brave. It’s much better than stepping aside and letting it take what you want farther & farther from your reach. And one day while you are walking side by side with the fear, matching it step for step, you will eventually pull ahead and the fear will eventually be behind you and maybe even one day, become a distant memory. One step, even a small step, ahead of the fear is a victory. And you will feel the bravery you thought you didn’t have deep down in your soul. And that’s the moment you know that you are so much more than just a person. You are a being. A force to be reckoned with. Someone that can get through the scariest of times with a smile on their face despite the fear in their eyes. A being that has been toe to toe with the things that have scared her the most and didn’t flee. A warrior that deserves all the happiness in the world and knows it. You are braver than ever. Never let your next mountain make you forget that.

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