Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons. You have the courage you need to succeed, but you must first unlock that courage.”

Today I want to talk about seven keys that will unlock the bravery you need to succeed.

7 Must Read Keys to Bravery:

1. Keep It Quiet

“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” ~Franklin P. Jones

Being brave is not about being fearless; it’s about acting in the face of fear.  It’s about feeling the fear, embracing the fear, recognizing the fear, and acting anyway.

To be brave is to not allow the fear to stop you.  John Wainwright said, “There is no such thing as bravery, only degrees of fear.”

2. Perform

“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.”  ~Omar Bradley

Even when you’re afraid you have to perform to the best of your ability.  You have to fight for what you want.  Bravery means fighting.  Shakespeare said, “Fight till the last gasp.”  That’s what the brave do, they fight.  They fight when things are looking bad, they fight when everyone else has given up, they fight, and fight, and fight until they win.

3. See

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” ~Thucydides

A clear vision positions you to act bravely.  When you know what you want, and when you can see it clearly with your mind’s eye, you will have the power to act bravely.  The brave keep their vision in front of them at all time.  This vision motivates them beyond fear into action.

4. Believe

“Bravery is believing in yourself, and that thing nobody can teach you.” ~El Cordobes

To be brave you must believe in yourself.  You must believe in your abilities, your values, your uniqueness, and the beauty of your future.  When you believe, you birth a determination and a commitment that propels you toward success.

5. Create the Habits

“Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit.  We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” ~Aristotle 

When you consistently perform brave acts, you become brave.  Decide to get out of your comfort zone today and to do what the brave do.  Consistency is truly the hallmark of a champion.  Today you must decide to consistently act with bravery.

6. Profess Courage

“The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly.” ~Corra Harris 

The brave profess they’re courage, but before they go around professing their courage to others, they profess their courage to themselves.

They profess their courage to themselves until they believe in themselves, and then they act accordingly.

7. Recognize the Important

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” ~Ambrose Redmoon 

This is one of my favorite quotes, and if you didn’t get anything else out of this article, hear this: “Bravery is not the absence of fear, but it is the recognition that there’s something more important than your fear.”  When you discover what it is that’s more important than your fear, you will be brave, you will succeed.