Psychological audacity: the value of daring

Psychological audacity gives us courage and willpower. It is that vital impulse capable of making our way, broadening perspectives and overcoming difficulties. There is also a certain touch of daring in this virtue. Because this profile has learned to dare, to respectfully claim what it deserves, to strive harder every day for what is needed and desired.

There is an old proverb that reminds us that fear and courage are brothers.. It is as if in some way, human beings are always forced to overcome the barriers of anguish and insecurity to achieve their goals. Now, but where can we get that inspiring spark capable of igniting our courage in the most needy moments?

People, On average, we are very resistant to change… in the same way that fear conditions us. Therefore, this is where a capacity that we can all train and enhance comes into value. We talk about psychological audacity. It is about that personal value that makes us gain confidence, that mobilizes internal resources to achieve goals and face adversity.

Søren Kierkegaard, father of existentialism, said that courage requires momentarily losing one’s balance. However, Not daring means sooner or later losing yourself. Let’s learn to awaken this value, let’s give ourselves permission to be a little more daring by training these dimensions.

The 4 keys to awaken our psychological audacity

Psychological audacity, like courage, does not have abundant scientific literature.. They are very specific areas that often make up that discipline we call personal development. However, it is worth referring to an interesting study carried out by Martin Seligman and which he published in 2005 in the American Journal of Psychiatry

This work was titled “Strengths and virtues of the human being” . In it, not only those characteristics that define people capable of coping with adversity were described. Also those to which They know how to invest resources and develop skills to work on their own well-beingthe same ones that also manage stress and anxiety better.

Thus, among all those strengths highlighted in the study, audacity stands out among them all. Now, it is not understood only as a synonym for courage. It is something more, because the term bold is undoubtedly richer and deeper from a psychological point of view. Because audacity generates strategies derived from clarity of thought.

It also includes the desire to act correctly. Because the bold person has an ethical code, a goal and the will to overcome fear. Let us therefore see what dimensions will allow us to awaken our psychological audacity.

1. In the face of uncertainty, make decisions

Daniel Kahneman is one of the psychologists who has done the most research in the field of decision making.. According to him, one aspect that always tests us is uncertainty. It is that space where fears grow and insecurity reigns. Not knowing what is going to happen causes us anxiety, and often even immobilizes us.

One way to face these situations is through psychological daring: learning to make decisions. Sometimes, explains Dr. Kahneman, just by deciding what we are going to eat today we are already assuming control over something.

A decision is always the first step, it is movement and allows us to take control of our own life.

2. The value of questioning and thinking differently

Those who do not question their reality end up acclimatizing, end up allowing themselves to be defeated and conditioned. The bold person, on the other hand, avoids this approach. And he does it because he has learned to think differently, to ask himself questions, to want to go further, to form his own opinion about himself.

Something like this requires time and daring, it requires breaking molds and avoiding being complacent. No one achieves this personal breakthrough in a day or two. In reality, it is a constant exercise that at first is done quietly and without making noise. Just observing what surrounds us. Later, fears are overcome and that assertive voice finally emerges that learns to demand, to question, to make positions clear.

3. Take responsibility for yourself

Breaking through to psychological audacity and bravery involves making a pact with oneself. It is an alliance with one’s own being where we declare ourselves responsible for every thing done, for every aspect left behind, for every mistake, for every pothole and also for every triumph.

Only when we stop blaming others for disappointments or losses experienced will we be ready to move forward without useless weights. Thus, and although we have been told more than once that the bold person is often moved by rage or by that determination that is born from a strong character, it must be said that it is not a correct idea.

Only the calm mind is the one that appreciates life more clearly. Only those who leave resentments and fears aside, manage to move forward more lightly, being clear about what they aspire to.

4. Expand your horizons

As we move away from the coast we discover the greatness and beauty of the ocean. However, as we well know, few things scare us more than taking our eyes off our daily ports. Thus, experts on the subject such as Brené Brown, researcher at the University of Houston, and specialist in dimensions such as vulnerability, anger or shame, tell us the following.

No one comes into this world with that psychological audacity capable of allowing them to overcome each experience without fear. You should go slowly. In fact, to expand your horizons you don’t have to travel far. Sometimes, We also manage to grow as human beings by meeting other people. When crossing the threshold of certain doors, leaving behind spaces of comfort.

We can also be bold by daring to change habits. These small oscillations in our routine also broaden the mind, strengthen the heart and train us in that growing audacity where we can finally generate the progress we truly need.

Let’s put it into practice, let’s dare to train our daily courage.

You might be interested…