I’m so excited to share with you the Brave Action Series. This series will showcase guests on my blog to show how they put bravery into play in their everyday lives. The Brave Actions series will highlight different people from different walks of life and how they have followed their dreams and enacted change in their lives and the lives of others. Bravery looks different for different people. Some are going back to school; some are writing books; some are deciding to start a family; some are beginning counseling; some are lending an ear; some are having vulnerable or difficult conversations; some are starting a workout program for the first time.
Here is the secret: bravery is not just about being ready to face and endure danger or pain.
It is also about showing courage. Courage is our ability to do something that scares us. Taking action to reach our dreams is one of the most courageous things we can do, as this opens up our system to feel vulnerable and directly challenges our worst core beliefs. As long as we are taking steps to impact ourselves, others, and the world in a positive way, we are being brave. Courage derives from the old Latin word, cor, for heart. We cannot have courage without heart. To listen to our heart’s desires without letting our mind’s negative beliefs shut it down is courageous. One cannot exist without the other. As Gandhi stated, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Even small actions in our lives are examples of bravery we should celebrate.
To start us off with, I cannot imagine anyone more fitting than Kathryn K. Murphy. Kathryn is a fantastic human, empowering others to learn in her community. She teaches middle schoolers. I could not imagine teaching children all day long, but that is why God made us all different. Based on the communities she teaches in, sometimes she sounds more like a social worker than a teacher. Children are no longer children anymore and seem to have the weight of the world on them. She gets involved on the ground level, listens to them, advocates for them, and, through actions, consistently demonstrates how she is personally involved in each child’s growth. This kinship with a social worker at heart leads to deep conversations involving systemic change. We often discuss the impact of education, following our dreams, and the vulnerability it takes to do so.
Kathryn recently has courageously accomplished a long-term dream of hers: to become an author and publish her work for the world to enjoy. Yep, you heard it right. She also writes books in her spare time. She is also an amazing teacher, wife, mother, and friend. She recently has finished four books and is working on her fifth. In two weeks, she will join us to discuss the vulnerability it takes to put our work out there, the negative feedback loop we get stuck in with our automatic negative thoughts (ANTS), and how stepping outside our comfort zone rocks our core beliefs. Check her out here. https://www.kathrynkmurphy.com
WIth Care & Bravery,
Maria B. Wiggins, LCSW-S, ADS
EMDR Certified Therapist & EMDR Consultant-in-Training