Summary

The website content details the personal journey of an individual who embraced bravery and fearlessness from a young age, traveling extensively and making independent life choices that shaped their identity as a strong and determined person.

Abstract

The narrative describes a person who has always been perceived as brave, even from toddlerhood. Despite being labeled as opinionated, stubborn, and hard-headed, they maintained a resilient spirit, making unconventional choices such as traveling alone at a young age, pursuing education later in life, and emigrating to different countries against the wishes of close family members. Their experiences have led them to reframe negative narratives from their past into positive affirmations of their character, emphasizing the importance of trusting one's intuition and replacing fear with faith. The journey culminates in a celebration of personal growth, bravery, and the embracement of a warrior spirit within.

Opinions

The author believes they have always possessed innate bravery, challenging societal norms and expectations from a young age.
They value self-determination and the freedom to make personal decisions, such as choosing friends, clothing, and life paths, despite potential backlash.
The individual regards their decision to travel alone at a young age as a pivotal act of bravery that contributed to their personal development.
They reflect on their move to New Zealand and subsequent emigration to Australia as evidence of their unwavering determination and commitment to their decisions.
The author acknowledges the difficulty of their journey, especially in the face of adversity and societal pressure, but maintains that their choices were instrumental in shaping their identity.
They advocate for the power of intuition and faith over fear, suggesting that this mindset is crucial for personal growth and bravery.
The narrative concludes with an empowering message that everyone possesses the potential for bravery and that embracing one's inner warrior is key to overcoming challenges.

Being Brave

From devil child to fearless warrior, how travel got me there.

Me in 1974 and again in 2020. Photos by Cyril Brown and Alyssa Clemens.

I have always been brave.

From the time I was a toddler, I have been relatively fearless. Many called me opinionated, stubborn, hard-headed, and even stupid. For years I believed some of these labels despite keeping a steadfast determination to move in the directions that I wanted to go.

Throughout my childhood, I climbed trees — even after I fell out, made the friends I wanted to make — usually from the “wrong-side of the tracks,” wore the things I wanted to wear, played the sports I wanted to play, and as I got older, kept decisions to myself that I knew would be unpopular with the major players in my life.

The travelling begins.

I travelled to England alone when I was just fourteen to see my godmother, who I adored and who seemed to be the only one that truly allowed me to just be me.

When I was twenty, I backpacked around Europe on my own for nine weeks. My parents were initially opposed to this idea, but as I was working full-time and had my own money, there was very little they could do about it.

I look back on that decision today, and even I am amazed by the bravery of that trip.

Two years prior at the age of eighteen, I went off to the Pacific Northwest in the USA to be an exchange student, returning three years later to the American Pacific Coast as an au pair.

Eighteen on the left as I prepared to be an exchange student, my twenty-second birthday on the right as an au pair. Photos by Lynn Brown and Brad Ormsby.

I emigrated with my ex-partner to New Zealand at thirty, despite adamant objections from her mother and my father. Although the decision to move had been hers at first, once I was on board, she did a one-eighty and started backpedaling. Here’s another thing about my personality, whilst I take my time to make a decision and consider every angle, once I make up my mind about something, wild horses couldn’t pull me back in the opposite direction!

I told her, in no uncertain terms, that we were going.

At thirty-four, I moved to Australia alone, well with my two kitties, and whilst living there I put myself through university, completing two degrees in Psychology at the University of Western Australia. When I was studying part-time, I worked full-time, and when I was studying full-time, I worked two jobs part-time.

It took six long and arduous years to achieve my goal, but that first walk across the dais was one of the best moments of my life.

Graduating from my BA (Psych) and BSc Hons. (Psych). Photos by GFP Studios, copyright purchased.

When I decided to try my luck at moving to the USA in 2017, I was met with a lot of “why” and “you’re crazy,” but also thankfully, some support from a few lovely individuals. Again, my mind was made up, my soul was calling, and I was going to answer that call irrespective of the naysayers.

Over the last five years, I have had to be braver than I ever thought was possible. Being a digital nomad and chasing visas at almost fifty is not for the faint of heart, and it damn near broke me!

It has only been in the last year that I have really started to question the narratives handed to me as a child, narratives that I continued to repeat to myself without questioning them. I have begun to reframe these stories to ones that I feel are more accurate. The devil child who wouldn’t listen became the little girl who knew her own mind and wouldn’t compromise, the opinionated teenager became the good leader, and the hard-headed woman who made idiotic decisions became the strong, brave, and fearless warrior.

Whilst I am still working on referring to my choices as brave rather than stupid, I am in a constant flux of changing my patterns of thinking as I eradicate other’s stories from my narrative.

Being brave is possible for every human being and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

For some it is easier, it comes more naturally, for others it has to be fought for, either way, we all have the warrior within. I believe that we are all born with a soul on a mission and sometimes that soul is bloody-minded — I definitely have one of these. When I obey her tall orders, life becomes a little easier — not less challenging, but my emotions become easier to manage.

For me, the key to being brave is learning to trust my intuition, knowing that everything that happens is designed to get me to where I need to be. I have had to let go of fear and replace it with faith. Not an easy task, but it’s the only way forward.

Onwards and upwards my brave warriors!

At the horse beach in Perth, Western Australia. Photo by Horse A Photos, copyright purchased.