Not shrinking from threat, challenge or difficulty.
The majority of our dissatisfaction with life boils down to fear. We’re afraid to explore, to go after what we want, and to be who we truly are. And when the dark, ominous cloud of fear ☁️ hangs over everything you do, you don’t do anything at all.
We can’t wave a magic wand and erase fear from our lives. But we can cultivate the one character strength designed to help us overcome it: bravery.
Bravery is when you feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s a willingness to act in spite of the horde of butterflies currently taking up residence in your stomach 🦋😅.
When you learn how to build your bravery muscle, the possibilities of life—and what you’re capable of—expand tenfold. It doesn’t mean that every swing you take knocks it out of the park. But it does mean you’ll get a heck of a lot more practice.
“The disposition to voluntary act, perhaps fearfully, in a dangerous circumstance, where the relevant risks are reasonably appraised, in an effort to obtain or preserve some perceived good for one self or others recognizing that the desired perceived good may not be realized.”
—Shelp, 1984
The concept of bravery may conjure up images of heroes in capes and knights facing off dragons, but trust us—it’s a lot more accessible than that. And there are no tights required 😅.
When you break it down, bravery means:
🦸 Showing valor
🦸 Not shrinking or shying away from a threat or challenge
🦸 Seeing those threats and challenges as opportunities
🦸 Speaking up for what’s right
🦸 Valuing a goal or conviction and acting upon it—whether it’s popular or not.
Even words associated with bravery prove that this character goes much deeper than just taking risky chances. Courage, for example, derives from the French word ‘Coeur,’ which comes from the Latin word ‘cor,’ meaning ‘heart.’ That’s where we get terms like lionhearted 🦁 and fainthearted 🤕.
In its essence, bravery is about holding true to what you believe in. It means you face your fears rather than avoid them. Trusting yourself and honoring your values despite the potential risks and possible failures.
Now that’s a superpower we can all get behind.
We tend to think of bravery as these intense acts in life-or-death situations. But in our cozy, non-cinematic lives, opportunities to be brave are a little harder to spot.
Social psychologists conclude that bravery is your daily ability to face challenges. So it’s less battling an evil force that’s trying to destroy the universe and more having a difficult conversation with your boss.
In order for an act to be considered “brave,” it must include these three elements:
1️⃣ Valorous action that is 100% voluntary (no forced courage here)
2️⃣ An understanding of the risks involved and acceptance of whatever consequences may come
3️⃣ The very real presence of either danger, loss, risk, or vulnerability.
That’s why standing up for yourself when you’re outnumbered, taking a leap of faith on a new career path, and being the first person to say “I love you” matter just as much as diving into an icy lake to save someone.
Our lives are filled with countless tiny moments of bravery every day. And if we actively seek them out, they can add up to one beautiful, courageous existence.
Before you start calling out your boss’ bad behavior or taking up skydiving, let’s get a better handle on what bravery looks like IRL. In general, there are three forms this character strength typically takes on.
💪 Physical
This is the kind of bravery we’re used to seeing in movies—the kind where to take real risks with your body that could potentially harm you. It can look like:
💖 Moral
Our values and beliefs are what make us who we are. Yet, so often we’re afraid to act on them when faced with any kind of opposition because we’re terrified of what other people might think.
Fear of other people’s opinions keeps so many of us silent for so long. But when we learn how to embrace our moral bravery, we feel compelled to do what’s right, despite the social or economic consequences like losing a job, making enemies, or being ostracized by friends.
It can look like:
🧠 Psychological
It’s easy to spot the differences between moral and physical bravery. One is expressed quickly in fleeting moments, and the other is thoughtfully approached due to the possibility of lifetime impact (i.e., losing a long-time friend). But there’s another type of bravery that often gets confused with moral bravery: psychological.
According to Daniel Putnam’s 1997 book Psychological Courage, an individual in need of psychological bravery fears the loss of psychic stability and destabilization of their identity. Millions of individuals summon psychological bravery every day to face their fears and anxieties—most of which are completely invisible to others.
It can look like:
Embracing bravery in your life isn’t about seeking out danger. It’s about living to your fullest potential and expanding the boundaries of what you believe is possible for yourself.
Being brave means you’re willing to act in spite of fear 👊🏼.
We know that it’s not something you can just snap your fingers and conjure up. But if we give ourselves the tools, the guts to take action, and the support we need—our superhero strength is there for the taking.
Despite how it might be portrayed on screen, bravery is not a genetically predisposed trait. Anyone—regardless of muscle mass 💪, social status 💰, or confidence level 😎—can be courageous.
That being said, current research suggests that there are a few factors that can increase the likelihood of an individual exhibiting bravery in their life.
👇BRAVERY-ENABLING FACTORS👇
But even if you didn’t grow up in a home that cultivated these factors or had guardians who modeled them for you, bravery can still be learned.
Studies have shown that people can learn bravery through practice (moral habit ✅), by example (modeling 🙂), and by developing certain attributes of the individual (self-confidence 👏🏼) or group (cohesion👯).
So long as you’re willing to embrace the challenge, any one of us can become braver.
Like all character strengths, bravery must be balanced, especially when confronting a moral dilemma ⚖. We’re not advocating for the risky behavior that comes with reckless abandon or lack of caution. And being so paralyzed with fear that you can’t act isn’t a great look, either.
Instead, we’re proposing that we pursue the middle ground: courage without recklessness. This is where bravery lives—as a conscious choice and an intentional action.
Finding that sweet spot 🍬 starts by understanding what over- and under-use of bravery look like.
Underuse of Bravery
Imagine an individual who is so overwhelmed by fear that they’re unable to step foot outside of their comfort zone. They avoid any and all risks, including those that could yield great rewards.
Some examples include:
✅ Not standing up for what you believe is right
✅ Taking the easy way out
✅ Giving up under pressure.
This individual is underusing their bravery muscle and won’t find success through this strategy of avoidance—and the result is living inauthentically.
Overuse of Bravery
On the flip side, the line between bravery and recklessness is fine. If a particularly courageous individual crosses it, they could come across as pushy, confrontational, or opinionated. And if the risk is physical, they may put themselves in harm’s way (think “adrenaline junkies”).
Some examples include:
✅ Overconfidence and poor judgment
✅ Pushing an agenda too far
✅ Evaluating risks incorrectly
There’s a time and a place for bravery. Living in that sweet spot means you understand and see the power of planning your brave acts rather than waiting for impulse to strike. Being able to self-regulate is also crucial, as you’ll need to know when you’ve gone too far, and it’s time to pull back.
Knowing when you’ve reached the point of no return is a brave act in itself 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.
Like any habit, it’s normal to feel extremely motivated in the beginning—and then gradually move back to a comfort zone. That’s why it’s important to remember the value of valor and of the rewards of your bravery.
You might not be winning medals or grandiose awards for your courage, but studies have shown that bravery helps you:
🔥 Build resilience by overcoming challenges and activating coping skills
👊🏼 Break prevailing cycles of abuse or injustice
💗 Tolerate the vulnerability of growing close to each other, thereby helping in the formation and maintenance of close relationships
🌏 Raise the moral and social conscience of a society
Bravery involves taking both action and risks—two critical ingredients for personal growth and achievement. So, no matter how big or small your bravery is, remember that it is making a difference in your life and the lives of those around you.
Bravery and the ideal of the heroic have been celebrated across continents and cultures since the dawn of time. Polish-British anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski studied the various myths across the globe and throughout history and discovered a common thread woven through them all: courage 👏🏼.
American writer and literature professor Joseph Campbell echoed this commonality and called it The Hero’s Journey. In his work and book of the same name, he outlined specific steps that a hero takes as part of his or her quest and theorized the journey of the hero is really just the journey of ordinary people through the difficulties of life.
So to keep motivating yourself to stay on the brave train, read up on some of the most iconic myths, legends, and tales of courage:
While practically all cultures, populations, and societies have put bravery on a pedestal 🏆 in one way or another, how they view this character strength drastically varies.
➡️ Ancient Greek society celebrated bravery as an ideal of the soldier 🛡; a notion that traveled across Western cultures and still informs philosophy today.
➡️ Mencius, an ancient Chinese philosopher, dismissed the military ideal of bravery and moved his thinking into the realms of self-knowledge 🤔 and religion 🙏🏼. He developed an ideal of bravery as steadfastness that fuels people’s attempts to live a virtuous life.
➡️ Modern Buddhism offers a more spiritual take on bravery and warriorship. Tibetan Buddhist meditation master 📿 Chögyam Trungpa once said that “the essence of warriorship, the essence of human bravery, is refusing to give up on anyone or anything.”
➡️ The Navajo introduced the concept of experiencing darkness and chaos while embarking on a journey that requires bravery. By focusing on the role of evil 👹 in the development of all life, they conclude that personal development requires steadfastness and bravery in the face of evil and difficulty.
➡️ The U.S. is a melting pot of cultural differences 🍲—and that includes ideas about bravery. Groups who have historically faced discrimination and marginalization often root bravery in collective action.
➡️ And in Western cultures, acts of physical bravery occurring outside the norm and beyond the routine call of duty are considered to be exceptional 💯. However, in other cultures, bravery is a duty expected of every member of society. And to ensure that bravery is, in fact, the norm in these cultures, individuals are socialized to perform brave acts, such as the Japanese soldiers and civilians during World War 2.
These are just a few examples of how braveness has been understood and expressed across time and space. Regardless of your culture, the common thread is that bravery helps us build resilience and face the unknown with courage—something we should all strive to do.
