“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
— Brené Brown, Daring Greatly
For years, I thought courage meant being fearless—like some kind of action hero. I didn’t think that really counted as courage, so I assumed I simply wasn’t brave. Then I came across a line from Brené Brown that changed how I saw it. She says courage is actually smaller and harder: just showing up and letting people see the real you.
Last year I had to give a work presentation. Nothing huge—but I was terrified. Shaky hands, crackly voice. In the past, I would’ve bailed. But I remembered that line and went anyway. I even admitted, “I’m a little nervous, so bear with me.” Nobody laughed. A couple of people nodded. And once I got through it, my boss just said, “That was solid.” That felt braver than any fake confidence.
So now I don’t wait to feel fearless. I just show up, messy and nervous. Being seen is hard. But disappearing? That’s a different kind of lonely.