My friends and I have this phrase called "You did a brave!" It was adapted after one of our friends called moments of strength, uncharacteristic courage, or moments of noteworthiness we encountered in our lives.

So what is a brave? A brave can look like talking to that boy in your Sociology class you thought you'd never talk to. It can look like getting that piercing you've wanted for too long but were a little too scared to ever do. It can also look like cutting off ties from someone you've allowed to drag you around for the better part of your life. It's those moments where you get rid of any excuse you have to do what you actually want to do. You embrace the brave, and you do it.

There's a line in the movie "We Bought a Zoo" where Benjamin Mee says, "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it" and I believe Benjamin truly understood what a brave is.

How would your life change if you committed to do one brave a month? One a week? What about one a day? What if everyday you woke up and said today I choose to be brave. Today I choose to get out of my comfort zone and enjoy life for all it is. I choose to embrace my bravery and tell that boy I find him attractive, I choose to embrace my courage and sit with a new person at lunch, I choose to be fearless and change my life for 20 seconds. Most braves truly only last for less that a minute but they ripple like a pool of water and every brave I've experienced so far has positively affected my life for the better because I chose to make no excuses.

The thing is that braves benefit people. You could choose to take this wrong and do a "brave" that hurts someone else, but I would argue that's not bravery, that's cowardly. You chose to hurt someone else because you couldn't choose something that could benefit multiple people.

So don't be cowardly.

Be brave.

Ask that girl out. Buy that plane ticket. Apply for a new job. Reconcile with an ex. Write a letter to an old friend. Apologize to that enemy. Kiss that boy. Cut your hair. Wear that dress you would never wear. Try out for that play.

What is your brave?

My braves come in both small and large packages. Some of them look rather simple while others tend to make me sweat through my whole shirt. But that's where the fun is at.

So I encourage you.

Do your brave.

Commit to a brave.

Be brave.