Be Brave: Finding Courage this Year
Written by: Lori Howard, MA, LMFT #126074
March 1, 2026
Photo by Micah & Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash
Another year has been ushered in, and many of us greet it with the same familiar burst of ambition.
“This is the year I’ll finally lose those five pounds.”
“This is the year I’ll stick to my exercise routine.”
“This is the year I’ll make new friends and try exciting things.”
And then - by the second week of January - we’re staring at the same undone resolutions, the same old routines, and the same internal whisper:
Maybe this just isn’t my year.
It’s easy to believe we don’t have enough - enough discipline, enough motivation, enough time, enough energy - to change our lives in any meaningful way. It’s even easier to silence ourselves, to shrink, to slip back into the muted version of who we are.
But what if this year doesn’t hinge on discipline or motivation or perfectly executed habits?
What if this year is simply about one thing:
Being brave enough to believe the truth about yourself.
What if you believed you were more capable than you’ve ever known?
Real, lasting change rarely starts with a new gym membership or a carefully curated planner. It begins with believing something different about who you are and what you deserve. Because what you believe about yourself quietly shapes everything - your choices, your boundaries, your self-talk, your relationships, your future.
If you believe you are capable, you begin acting like someone who is capable.
If you believe you deserve good things, you begin choosing things that are good for you.
Bravery isn’t loud. It’s not a dramatic reinvention or a grand declaration.
Most of the time, bravery looks small and ordinary.
What would it look like to be brave this year?
1. Live With Purpose - In the Smallest Ways
The small decisions you make every day add up over time. Purpose doesn’t arrive as a lightning bolt - it’s built in the moments you choose to live with intention.
Instead of trying to overhaul your entire life, start with one purposeful declaration each morning:
“Today I will smile at my child on the way to school.”
“Today I will take a five-minute walk outside.”
“Today I will speak kindly to myself.”
Your life shifts when your intentions shift.
2. Live Like You Deserve Good Things
This one can feel radical. Many of us have spent years - sometimes decades - quieting our needs, lowering our expectations, accepting crumbs, or believing that the good things in life are for other people.
But bravery is telling yourself the truth:
You are worthy. You deserve love - from yourself and from others.
When you begin internalizing that truth, your choices start to change:
You say no to people who drain you.
You make space for people who lift you up.
You stop apologizing for taking care of yourself.
You stop settling for relationships, jobs, or situations that shrink you.
End each day with a simple reflection - one that reinforces your worth:
“Today I said no to someone who criticizes me, and I chose to spend time with someone who sees my value.”
“Today I protected my peace.”
“Today I showed myself kindness.”
These moments matter. They build the life you’re becoming brave enough to live.
A New Year, A New Way of Seeing Yourself
You don’t need a different body, a stricter routine, or a more exciting life to feel whole.
You need belief.
You need compassion.
You need courage.
You need the bravery to show up for yourself.
This year, let your resolution be something beautifully simple:
Be brave enough to believe that you already hold everything you need to live the life you want.
Because you do.
Lori Howard, MA, LMFT #126074
Lori T. Howard is a Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in grief and loss. You can visit her profile below or find her at lorithoward.com
