I have often heard people talking about being brave and being fearless as if the two words are interchangeable terms. However, I have to say that I disagree. Being brave is not being fearless. It's okay to be afraid. Stuff scares me all the time and I'm afraid of a lot of things. But I still do them. And that, my friend, is being brave.

Think about it. As we all know (thanks to "The Princess Diaries"), "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear." Just because you are afraid does not mean that you are a coward. It does not mean that you cannot do, achieve, or accomplish anything.

I was afraid to get on a plane with people I had known for two days and fly to Europe with them for a month. But I did it anyways. It was awesome and I was brave. I was terrified to go on my first "big kid" job interview and potentially get my future started. However, I did it anyways. It was terrible, but I was still brave. I was scared to go to college and be surrounded by all new things and people. I did it anyways. It was amazing and I was brave.

So don't be so down on yourself. You are allowed to be afraid. Heck, you are allowed to be completely petrified. That does not make you less of a person. In fact, if anything, it just makes you even more human. Be afraid, be real with yourself, but be brave. Make yourself take the plunge and do whatever it is that you are holding yourself back from. It could be the best thing you ever do. You just might be on the brink of greatness.