Mindfulness: Practicing Bravery

Way back when I started this blog, one of my key focuses was mindfulness, and how to incorporate mindfulness into my everyday life, in spite of the stresses that came my way. Well, now I’ve decided to bring back the mindfulness series, with reflections, tips and techniques that I use now that I’m travelling. (Don’t get me wrong, I love travelling, but it brings its own set of stresses and frustrations!)

 

The whole reason I’m doing this trip is to get out of my comfort zone,and do things that challenge me. I am a total creature of habit and I love routine – that’s exactly why I’ve adopted the motto Do something everyday that scares you. 

Here are a few things I’ve done:

 

• Gotten a tattoo on a whim
• Climbed a 13,000 ft volcano, slept at altitude and in below freezing temperatures
• Gone to the beach on my own (sounds small, but it’s not)
• Made solo decisions about my travel
• Hitchhiked in the back of a pickup truck along mountainous roads
• Paraglided with a world-class acrobat glider
• Gone running, at sunset, in unknown countries
• Bribed border security guards (not my favourite moment, but needs must)

 

There’s a quote I read from a world class athlete Blair Braverman. She is actually a sled-dog racer, and was describing both herself and one of the dogs in her pack:

We are fearful creatures, prone to fearless decisions.

That pretty much describes everything I aspire to. Sure, I may have anxiety, OCD and a plethora of other neuroses; but that doesn’t mean I have to give up my life for them. I find that I have to practice being brave: just for a second (booking my flight) and then again, and then again, until it becomes instinctive. All that adds up to what will hopefully be the trip of a lifetime.

 

How do you practice being brave?

 

Lots of love,

 

Pippa