The "Be Brave" Project.

ORIGINAL POST (October 2, 2007):

Last week I wrote a post here announcing my commitment to doing one thing every day that scares me and asked others to join in. Because of the incredible response that I have received from friends and fellow bloggers, I have decided to create a badge as well as write a post explaining this project to anyone who might want to know more about it.

This project was inspired by the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:

Do
one
thing
every
day
that
scares
you.

One day, while shopping for art supplies, I found a card with this quote on it and thought of my mom...but then the unexpected happened and the idea just wouldn't leave me alone. Eleanor's words seemed to be exactly what I needed to help me get out the rut I had somehow gotten myself in. I figured, what's to lose? Should it surprise me that amazing things have already started to happen?

I have been a part of creative blogging communities in the past and I am always blown away by the power that emerges when a diverse group of people come together--especially when joined by a common thread. And that is why I asked others to join me in this project--so that we can remind each other to be brave on a regular basis. So that we can offer support. So that we can be each others' believing mirrors.

I have committed to doing one thing that scares me every day for a month. I started on September 27, 2007. However, because Halloween is such a perfect day to celebrate a month worth of adventurous living, I've decided to continue the project until October 31st. And, if I learn anything at all in doing this, I will continue with acts of bravery well beyond any date that I might set for myself.

Here's the rules:

• (most important:) MAKE YOUR OWN RULES.
• Do this for yourself.
• Make a commitment for the length of time that best suites YOUR needs--one day, one month, one year, one moment...it's all up to you, and you alone. ;)
  
• The "brave" or "scary" things that you choose to do can be as big or little as you want them to be. Sometimes it's the little things that can be the most scary!
• (not to quote Nike, but...) Just do it.
• Be on your own schedule. You don't need to make a commitment until YOU are ready.
• This is your unique journey--make it whatever you want it to be.
  

Also, per Maddie's suggestion, I've created a badge for the "Be Brave" project (see image at top of post). If you want to participate, I invite you to add it to your blog. In order to get the image to link back to this post, the html code is:

<br /><br/><a href="http://ravenn.blogspot.com/2007/10/be-brave-project.html"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116904848277971282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6x75gzEVQliQuMZXwEtvjhl-8TkrBfuijWnP3B41yB-InPzbPg3ZUJmf0eq5AEcwLeRnjpe7QjkuzUF4qcGe6MSlFYJdFogiEAxPBffqbCra3uDTi-PR_mD7qjSyevfRKjfJ/s320/bebrave.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

Here's to moving forward. And to living a little bit more adventurously in the process!

Be Brave!

* * *

UPDATED POST (July 8, 2008):

Dear Friends,

Back in October of 2007 (oh, that sounds like such a long time ago) I decided to start a new project and invited any one who was interested to join me. Little did I know that it would CHANGE MY LIFE. In proper blogging fashion, people from all over the world decided to live their lives a little bit more bravely. The cumulative energy from so many brave individuals felt as powerful as a tidal wave, a wave that just keeps growing. I will forever be grateful for the success of the Be Brave Project because it has propelled me forward in ways I never even imagined. Maybe you have participated in this project since the beginning. Maybe you've just started. Maybe you've simply been letting the idea incubate inside of you. Or maybe this is the first you've heard of it. Whatever the case, I deeply believe that there is strength in numbers and so I once again invite you to join me in this Be Brave journey.

I began with the intentions of living by Eleanore Roosevelt's quote for one month.

"Do one thing every day that scares you."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

One thing. Just one. Every day. Turns out that it became a habit. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I'm glad that it did. Granted, committing acts of bravery has not gotten any easier--but what DID happen is that I got better at recognizing the signs of evasion. I got better at giving myself those little nudges--like jumping into water, it is never as painful as we imagine. I think it's safe to say that most of us are creatures of comfort. Why cause ourselves discomfort on purpose? Well, the point is not to be uncomfortable. The point is to MOVE FORWARD. The point is to grow and evolve. The point is to manifest your wildest desires--no matter how impossible they might seem. The point is to shine with our whole being.

And sometimes that requires incredible amounts of bravery.

These days I feel as though I have hit a bit of a crossroads, a hump, a rock, a wall...whatever it is, I'm struggling to move past it, and it feels very NECESSARY and important that I do. Over and over this quote has been finding its way back to me. And I have to tell you that it's down right weird how often and blaringly it has been popping up lately. One woman, who has no knowledge of this project, commissioned me to paint this EXACT quote on 5 feet worth of canvas to hang about her bed. Another woman, who also has no knowledge of the project, invited me to her home for a photoshoot in preparation for another commission, for a portrait of her cat and dog. Mind you, the day before I had been on the brink of giving up on myself, but then (the universe stepped in?) I unexpectedly met her on a sidewalk and, for some reason, we started talking. When I arrived at her home, there was a tall gate leading into what I can only describe as a magical place--and on the inside of the gate was, yes, you guessed it, that quote.

Then there have been the emails, the comments, the requests--dozens of them saying: Be Brave, Be Brave, Be Brave...

And so I've come to the conclusion that it is time to revisit the Be Brave Project and to invite you, once again, to join me in doing so.

I, personally, will whole-heartedly return to this project on Monday, July 21st. I've chosen that date because by then I will have finished a major project, thus opening up more time and energy for living extra bravely. And I will have just returned home, refreshed from a small vacation. For me, these are good conditions for starting out on a journey (or, in my case, continuing on a journey).

I want to make it very clear, however, that there is no beginning and no end to this project. If you decide to join in, there are no rules except for the ones you create for yourself.

We each have a different goal. We each have a different reason for calling on bravery. And we each will have a different outcome. The important thing is that you make a commitment to yourself--and then believe that the universe will support you in that commitment. It's safe to say that you will get as much out of it as you put into it. This blogging community is here as a network of cumulative energy to help propel you forward and remind you that you are not alone when the going gets rough--and it will--but I assure you that you will expand in hugely positive ways.

Here's to continued bravery!