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I want to tell you a story about bravery. I want you to forget every over-romanticized notion you’ve ever heard about fearlessness; replace it with the idea that bravery is not an absence of fear but a rebellion against it. that it’s taking the risk. reaching for the person you want. chasing your dream. fighting for it all (despite despite despite). Bravery is hoping it’s worth it. Stop holding your humanity like a failure and wondering why you can’t succeed. Fear is an instinct to keep us safe and alive— it’s healthy to carry it as long as you don’t allow it to control you. Perpetuating the idea that we can scrape it from us completely only serves to breed more fear, make us feel alone, and create shame for something that exists (and should exist) in every breathing thing. Make no mistake: everyone is afraid of something. Everyone is taking a risk, in their own way. Every day, people are finding their dreams. surviving. falling in love. letting go. moving forward. stepping back. staying. healing. Every single one of them is doing so despite the fear, not without it. Set your sights on what you genuinely want and not just what is easy. Hold hope with both hands. be afraid. jump anyway. What I’m trying to tell you is: don’t aspire to be fearless. aspire to be brave.
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