My daughter Paige recently tried out for cheerleading and soccer on the same day. As she paced the house, waiting to hear if she made one or both teams, my wife commended her bravery. She said, “I love how you try out for everything and put yourself out there. I wouldn’t have done that at your age, and I’m not sure I would do it now,” she added.
It’s funny because my wife had to attend track practice that same afternoon. Paige isn’t a natural or gifted athlete like some others. She’s not exceptionally fast or tall, but she possesses a brave spirit. Her athletic ability is similar to mine; I quit playing sports in 9th grade when I reached the towering height of 5 feet 3 inches and 105 lbs.
She always puts herself out there. Paige auditions for leading roles in her theater camp, tries the hurdles in track, goes for the solo in choir, tries out for the basketball team, and joins new church youth groups to make friends. She fearlessly walks up to any group and tries to join in.
Finding Confidence in Bravery
She truly is brave. And here’s the really funny thing—my daughter lacks confidence. In fact, my wife and I worry that she tries too hard to fit in. Though what 13-year-old girl doesn’t want to fit in and be liked?
This isn’t a blog where a dad boasts about his daughter, although I could do that. Actually, I could do it for all four of my kids, just like any other parent who believes their children are amazing.
No, this is about what we can learn from the bravery of a 13-year-old girl. And for me, this writing is about being brave, and how we need to be brave today and every day this week.
Learning from Paige’s Bravery: A Call to Action
Let’s give it a shot! Today, pick two opportunities where you need to take a chance. Call that old client you haven’t spoken to in years. Make that business call you’ve been avoiding because you think it won’t work out.
Let’s aim for the promotion we’re not sure we’ll get.
Today, I’m going to be brave like Paige. Who is really just like her mother, whom I’m incredibly proud of. My daughter definitely gets her bravery from her mother, although my wife would never admit it. For example, my wife is afraid to fly, which is ironic considering how often we fly. But instead of letting fear take over, she confronts it head-on. To overcome her fear of flying, she decided to experience a flight in a commercial airline simulator used for pilot training.
I know I said my intention wasn’t to brag about my amazing kids or my incredible wife, but somehow I ended up doing it anyway. My real purpose, however, is to inspire you to be brave today, and if even one of you makes that call or does something courageous today, then my bragging worked a bit and also-hell yes!
My brave act today is to promote and launch our brand-new online sales training program. Because believe it or not, it isn’t always comfortable for me to share the new things we create. Although I wholehearted believe in the effectiveness of our programs and the quality of our work- when it comes to branching out into this new digital world- it isn’t my comfort zone. So today, I bring you- our brand new training program that is the perfect, most cost effective way, to gain the tools, knowledge and amazing success from almost three decades of working with the top selling badasses around the globe. Check it out!
And also, go be be brave like Paige!
