Choose To Be Brave

As Paulo Coelho once said, “One has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.”

We all have our own fears, and we often think about the people that might be affected of our future decisions. We sometimes conform to the norms of society, and we let people dictate us and our choices that we tend to forget who we really are.

At some point, love will always put you in a situation where you forget to be brave anymore. You tend to panic over trivial situations, or overthink about things that are not even worth it. As a part of the LGBTQ community, it’s not an easy task for me to be brave when it comes to opening up about my sexuality.

Sure, I come across as a tough young kid who is confident about who she is, but my worries and doubts still stick with me. What if I am disappointing my family because of who I am? What if I will never be able to find a job that will accept my sexuality? What if I will cause more trouble to the people around me? Those are my usual what-if’s and my fears, and I know that a lot of people would relate to what I am experiencing.

Although being brave when it comes to being in love with the same sex is not always common, I choose to be brave.

I choose to be brave because love is the most wonderful thing in the world, and I won’t let anybody take it away from me. I choose to be brave because this is who I am, and my sense of self is more important than their approval. I choose to be brave because then I wouldn’t have to be unfree anymore.

It takes courage to let the world see who you really are, but love is always worth the risk.

Our personal choices in life have a lot to do with being brave, and sometimes those choices can wind up hurting the ones you love. Sometimes you will catch yourself thinking, “Is it okay to betray them?” and this is what I’ll tell you: In life you will meet people that forces you to act in a certain way, but don’t ever betray yourself.

Never betray yourself, not even for their approval or for social status. You were not born to meet their expectations. It’s not about putting up the “Fuck what they think” attitude, but it’s all about being your true self and letting people deal with it. Don’t let your fears hold you back from being who you want to be; take action.

No matter how afraid you are, do it anyway. The moment I realized all of this is the bravest moment of my life.

I still have a long way to go to fight for my rights, and I am still imagining what it feels like to have no limits to love. The world is cruel and full of hatred, but the world is also full of hope and brave souls. You are one of them, darling. Be bold and fearless.