Bravery

On this TBIF, let’s talk about bravery.

What does it mean to be brave?  The obvious definitions apply here – those who face danger head on, those who forge ahead in the face of fear – the men and women of our military.  Yes, those are all true.  But let’s do a flip of what we think to be brave in the 9 to 5 world.

A friend of mine decided she had “enough” and resigned from her job yesterday.  She’s young, energetic, smart – and she wants more.  More than the endless hours, more than the late night and weekend calls, more than a boss who doesn’t appreciate who she is.  She’s decided to move on, pursue a number of side passions she’s had, and to try to live a life that doesn’t, in  her words, “make her stomach hurt.”

She is brave.  Many of us would immediately think that – that she is courageous to leave a well-paying job to go out into the fearful unemployment landscape.  Many dream – “I wish I could do that!” as they head home after a long day at the office. 

The Buddha Balboa flip here is this – why do we consider leaving a job or situation we are in that makes us feel unhappy, underappreciated and unfulfilled, brave?  Because we live in fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failure.  If we were to look at our work culture a little differently, we may see STAYING as being brave in that we are sacrificing ourselves for the benefit of others, with little reward.  Bravery, from this viewpoint, doesn’t appear so noble.

Doesn’t it make sense to move forward instead of holding down the fort at all costs – the cost of our hopes and our dreams?  What is the true price of this bravery?  Too high, my friends, too high. – BB