Personal Growth: Reclaiming Your Brave Self
Personal growth does not always require becoming someone new. Sometimes, it invites you to return to the parts of yourself that have been quieted, judged, or pushed aside. One of those parts may be the brave part of you.
We often think of bravery as something bold and dramatic. We picture warriors, risk-takers, and people doing extraordinary things, but courage can be much quieter than that. Sometimes, bravery is simply telling yourself the truth about what you want and taking one small step toward creating it.
That is what I explore in Season 2, Episode 7 of I Buy Myself Flowers, “Reclaiming the Brave Part of Me.”
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
Reclaiming the Brave Part of You
There was a time in my life when I did not feel brave at all. My relationship had fallen apart, I was moving between my parents’ homes, and my business was not financially secure. I felt defeated, afraid, embarrassed, and devastated.
One night, around one o’clock in the morning, I found myself crying in the bathroom and calling a friend. As she listened to me, she said something I could not understand at the time:
“You are so brave.”
I did not feel brave. I felt as though I were barely holding everything together. Years later, however, I realized that she was not talking about the kind of bravery that demands survival, endurance, or the ability to push through pain without falling apart. She was recognizing the quieter courage required to admit, This is not working anymore. This is what I actually want. I am willing to try something different.
That moment eventually changed the way I understood courage. Bravery does not always mean blowing up your life and starting over. Sometimes, it means becoming willing to create something new, one honest decision at a time.
Personal Growth Requires Telling Yourself the Truth
One of the hardest parts of personal growth can be admitting what you actually want. Maybe you want a different career, more creativity, a new relationship, or more time for yourself. Perhaps you want to start the business, return to something you once loved, or change a part of your life that no longer feels aligned with who you are.
We can become so focused on what is practical, responsible, or expected of us that we stop asking one of the most important questions: What do I actually want?
Wanting something different does not mean you are ungrateful for what you already have. As I have explored before, wanting more doesn’t make you selfish. You can appreciate the life you have built while also acknowledging that something within you is ready for a change.
The brave part of you begins to emerge when you are willing to tell yourself that truth.
The Beliefs That Keep Us From Being Brave
Once you know what you want, the next question is: What is keeping you from moving toward it?
Often, the answer is a belief. You may believe that people will judge you if you fail, that needing help will make you a burden, or that getting something wrong means you have failed. You may worry that becoming more visible will make you unsafe or that changing your mind will cause people to see you as unreliable.
These beliefs shape how we behave. We procrastinate, postpone decisions, shrink ourselves, and turn down opportunities. We keep refining ideas instead of sharing them, or we wait for a sense of complete readiness that may never arrive.
The truth is that being ready is not a feeling. I truly believe that being ready is a choice.
When I am challenging a limiting belief, one question I use is:
Is this 100% true?
If the answer is no, there is room to consider another possibility and that new possibility can give us access to a different behavior.
For example, if you believe, “My ideas are not good enough”, you may continue editing instead of allowing anyone to see your work. If you begin practicing the belief, “My ideas deserve to be heard”, you may become willing to speak up, send the email, or share the first version.
This is where personal growth happens: in the space between what you have believed and what you choose to do next.
What Does Being 10% Braver Look Like?
Being brave does not require a massive life overhaul. You do not have to quit your job, move across the country, or completely reinvent yourself to prove that you are courageous. Instead, you can begin by asking what it would look like to be 10% braver.
Being 10% braver might mean asking for help, setting a boundary, or speaking up before your idea feels perfect. It could look like returning to something that still matters to you, taking one step before you have the entire plan, or naming what you really want without minimizing it. It may simply mean protecting time for something you have been postponing.
The goal is not to prove how brave you are. The goal is to build trust with yourself by showing that you are willing to act on what you know, need, and want.
Create a Brave Belief and a Brave Behavior
Once you have identified your 10% braver move, connect it to a belief that can support the behavior. Complete these two statements:
The belief I am ready to practice is __________.
So the brave behavior I will practice is __________.
For example:
The belief I am ready to practice is that my ideas deserve to be seen.
So the brave behavior I will practice is sharing the first version before it feels perfect.
You are not trying to guarantee a particular outcome. You are practicing a new way of showing up in your life. If protecting this new behavior requires clearer boundaries, you may also want to explore How to Set Boundaries Without the Guilt.
Your 10% Braver Practice
This week, consider one area of your life where you sense that something is waiting for you. Then ask yourself:
What is one thing I would do differently this week if I allowed the brave part of me to take the lead?
Your answer does not need to be dramatic. You could send the email, speak up in the meeting, ask for the opportunity, or set the boundary you have been avoiding. You might let someone help you or return to something you once put down but still care about.
You do not have to feel completely ready before you begin. Being ready is a choice, and sometimes deciding that you are ready enough to take the first small step is the bravest thing you can do.
Remember that failing at something does not make you a failure. It means you tried, learned, and were willing to participate in your own life. That is bravery, too.
What Are You Learning About Yourself?
As you move through your own season of change and personal growth, take some time to sit with this question:
What are you learning about yourself in this season of life?
You may be learning that you can trust yourself again, that your needs matter, or that you do not need to have everything figured out before you move forward. Perhaps you are beginning to recognize that you are braver than you thought.
Whatever you are learning, give yourself the space to notice it. The goal is not simply to create a different life. It is to develop a deeper relationship with yourself as you create it.
This week, buy yourself flowers by allowing the brave part of you to take the lead and doing one thing that makes you feel 10% braver.
You may be surprised by what becomes possible when you do.
Keep Exploring
Continue exploring your reclamation season:
- Wanting More Doesn’t Make You Selfish
- How to Set Boundaries Without the Guilt
- Self-Love Starts with Your Messiest Parts
Ready to go deeper? Listen to “Reclaiming the Brave Part of Me,” Season 2, Episode 7 of I Buy Myself Flowers.
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