A great little lesson by a 4 year old on the virtues of bravery occurred in the pool.

As my twin cousins visit for the summer and graduate to jumping off the diving board into the pool here, the innate differences between the male and female biological wiring are already presenting themselves as Kylie is a thrill seeking danger junkie that will jump into the abyss no problem and always wants to be tossed higher and farther into the air, while Matthew is much more calculating, cautious and fearful of the potential dangers that exist in all of the above.

The other day he was on the edge of the diving board, staring down into the wet unknown expressing the kind of trepidation typical for him in this situation and from the water I encouraged him to trust me that it is a safe jump and just do it. I wasn’t breaking through to him in the slightest until I said “be brave”. With that, he perked his head up like a dog and repeated back to me “be brave?”… and he looked back down into the water with even more calculation and now determination and resolve and leaped into the air.

Even a 4 year old understands the value of bravery. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear. By definition, bravery is the presence of fear, and the action that goes against that fear-grain anyway. A person without fear cannot be brave. They can be fearless, and maybe stupid or irresponsible but not brave. Brave takes into consideration the fright that is holding you back from action, using intellect to decide what the best choice to make is, and then making that choice despite that fear. That is what bravery is and I was happy to be a small part in pushing the concept to Matthew.

Be brave like Matthew. Look at your surroundings and make your choices to go forward in the best ways regardless of the fears that would otherwise anchor you.