It is easier said than done. You remember that phrase people always say, but it’s true. It is easy to say Be Brave than to Be Brave. It took me 35 years to be brave. To finally admit to myself I am scared. I fear rejection, failing, and not living up to my standards. I worried so profoundly that I took precious time away from my life. I was constantly in my head, caring about what others thought and trying to live up to society’s standards of a perfect life. I was not accepting who I was. I envied the brave Shayeeda—the choices she made and how she stood up for herself. But I was not her. I was living as afraid Shayeeda. You know how exhausting it is to live anxiously. You are not living. You exist. Living on the edge and not in a good way.

So today, I accept who I am. I am flawed and imperfect. I am Shayeeda Mahario. Say it loud! Scream who you are aloud to the world. This is the first step to being brave. Accepting who you are. It felt so free and liberating to finally admit who I am and not care what others think of me. The first person whom you need to convince is yourself.  Second, write down what brave you will do. What does your day-to-day life look like? What will the brave you say to the person that you are most scared of? Write down everything in a journal. Make it a mantra. Create expectations of your bravery. You control the person you are meant to be.

Now you have the brave you listed in your journal; take one trait and work on it one day at a time. This will take time to happen. One week you may work on telling someone no, and the next week, sticking up for yourself when you feel bullied. You must want to be brave and prepare for what comes with being brave. Brave people are free but strong and accept everything that comes with it. You will lose people that never had a place in your life, and from experience, you will not miss them. The heaviness will start to become light. Your life will transform. Hey, want to know a secret? Knowing that you can be more and choose to be less is regretful. Remember being brave begins with you choosing to be brave. Now who do you choose to be?