Fearless living

“I want to be brave with my life. When we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” ~Brene Brown, Daring Greatly

I never wanted to be a professional actor, but I don’t regret a minute of the time I spent in the performing arts. When I was a kid, I attended Cranbrook Theatre School, where I acted, danced, and sang (badly) in plays and musicals every summer. The performing arts gave me confidence, preparing me for the public speaking that was essential to the career I had later on.

In the theater, I learned that speaking in front of people isn’t about showing off. It takes courage and a willingness to “get over yourself,” as the late comic Joan Rivers often said.

Today, I applaud all the brave ones who put themselves out there to entertain, educate, or inform us. I’m reminded of Garth Brooks’ classic, Standing Outside the Fire, which now serves as an anthem for personal valor. As Brene Brown advises, if we want to live fully, we have to risk looking foolish or even “getting our asses kicked.” ~CL