Living A Brave Life

I do not know!

What a beautiful statement. 

A simple, elegant truth that I wished I heard more often.

I do not know!

Imagine what the world would be like if we heard this phrase admitted every day. Imagine how peaceful it would be to live in a world where the term “I do not know" was met with a smile and congratulations. Imagine if this simple sentence was seen as Living A Brave Life. A truthful search for the answers you seek, instead of being seen as a weakness that can be used against you.

Imagine. 

Only when you admit that you do not know does the longing, seeking, and the possibility of knowing begin to arise. Yet to accept this, to live this, requires one thing above all else. 

It requires you to "Live A Brave Life."

But what does the concept of living a brave life look like?

Living a Brave life is quite simple, as a conceptual thought. I imagine that most of us already believe that we live brave lives, but the truth may be just the opposite. We may be living a reality where we are so scared of not knowing; we will do anything to appear as if we do know, even at the cost of learning.

This very thought, concept, and belief may be the single element that stops us from really living a brave life. That prevents us from following our dreams, that pulse through our bodies, trying to emerge yet often subdued by fear. The fear of appearing not to know and, of course, being seen as wrong, even though experience tells us that our most significant source of knowledge is our own mistakes.

 The fact is that most of us, somewhere along the line, learned that not knowing the answers to all the questions was a sign of weakness, a sign of failure. This may have been taught at school, where we were rewarded for knowing the answer and shamed for not. But as we know, we all learn differently, and the answers we seek can always be found via different paths. 

But sadly, once you learned that not knowing meant you were wrong, and everyone around you confirmed this story. Let's say that the result of this story is somewhat predictable and can have a lasting effect throughout your life. 

This learned behaviour can lead to the existence of only doing what you are sure of, what you know, or believe to be acceptably correct. This path can stop you from taking the chances you need to live your truth; it can stop you from breaking free from a reality that does not serve you.

Imagine if the concept of knowing everything plagued an inventor. Would they live a brave life, brave enough to attempt something the world has never seen? Would they live a brave life sufficient to work through the unknown until they invented a needed product that has the potential to change the world?  

Imagine if every chef followed the recipe? If every artist created to a set of rules? If every health practitioner followed the handbook? Imagine if everyone's dreams were constricted by the concept of never admitting that they do not know. How would we ever learn? How would we ever move forward? How would we ever evolve? How would we ever rise to the challenge, do the work, study, and experiment until we come to a place where we do know? 

The moment we can freely admit "I Do Not Know" is the moment 

we ignite the longing, the seeking, and the possibility of knowing.

Don't let your fear of not knowing stop you from starting. Sure, if you don't try, you won't fail. But ask yourself, did the people you admire most let their fear of not knowing stop them from finding the answers they seek?

Live a life of glorious mishaps, of I don't know, of willing to learn from your mistakes until the answers find you.

Live a Brave Life!!!