Edition #14: How to be brave when it counts
Does it really matter if I do something bold every Friday? What can it actually change?
The answer is EVERYTHING.
Rosa Parks Day was on Feb 4th.
In 1955, after a long day of work, 42-year-old Rosa waited for the bus, bought her ticket, and took her seat.
A few stops later, she refused to give that seat up for a man simply because he was white and she was black.
She was threatened with arrest.
And her response was a polite and simple:
“You may do that”
She was arrested. Removed from the bus. And changed the world.
Where does this kind of courage come from?
Photo Credit: https://www.history.com/articles/rosa-parks
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
The Problem: How do I become braver?
When my moment comes, I don’t want to miss it…
I’m fairly certain Rosa Parks didn’t wake up intending to change the world.
It just happened.
But that kind of boldness is no accident. She’d been training for it her whole life.
She wasn’t waiting for a big moment.
She built a habit of acting boldly and eventually the big moment found her. 👇
The Solution: Practice, practice, practice
Get in those reps…
Rosa had a history of doing the bold, the brave, and the unexpected way before she sat down on that bus.
Like going back to school at 20 to finish her high school diploma, something less than 7% of black people held in Alabama at that time.
Like refusing to let the gang rape of a black woman go unpunished when a grand jury refused to indict the men.
It wasn’t even her first incident on a bus.
Twelve years earlier, after paying her fare at the front of the bus, she was told to get off and reboard at the back of the bus. She refused. The driver threatened her, so she left by the front exit and kept on walking.
Courage does not magically appear.
You train for it with your everyday choices.
The Application:
The reason the Hail Mary Friday Club exists…
The whole point is to make boldness a weekly practice.
And maybe that weekly practice spills into your daily life.
And maybe, over time, it becomes so natural for you to boldly step into the things you want and the person you want to become that it spills out without you realising it…
Whether you are on the bus
In the grocery store
At home
Or with the whole world watching
What small thing can you do with big courage today?
Obviously, feel free to do something big!
But never underestimate the power of small consistent choices.
Stay bold, friends!
- Stef 💪
PS. The HMFC is going back to its original rhythm of every 2nd and 4th Friday. So no more Motivator editions in between, but keep knocking out those Hail Marys every Friday!
Forward this to a friend you want to encourage!
Or forward to someone looking for an inspirational speaker.