The Value of Bravery: The Architecture of a Life Without Excuses

“Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something —or someone— far more valuable than that fear."

How many times have we let opportunities, dreams, or people pass us by because we prioritized our insecurities? "I’m not enough," the fear of losing our comfort zone, the doubt of "not being up to the task"... all those "what ifs?" act as walls we build to protect ourselves, but they ultimately become our own cells.

Have you ever thought how sad it would be to reach 80 years old, look back, and discover a list of essential things you didn't do because you were afraid to take a risk? It is painful to imagine a life always betting on the predictable, watching how the fear of failure robbed us of moments that could have been transformative.

Throughout my career, I have found myself at countless crossroads. I have placed my bets and I have lost; that is part of the design of learning. Once, during a university lecture, a student asked me how I faced failure. I told him that, for me, failure doesn't exist: if something doesn't work, I learn from it to overcome it in the next instance. The only true failure is giving up or, even worse, not even trying.

That is why there is one thing I have never allowed myself: to remain paralyzed by fear. I have learned that the universe always rewards a brave heart. Bravery is the ability to act with a trembling heart, but with a firm will toward what we desire to achieve.

Living is about risking everything for what we love with all our soul. I have seen so many people stay on the riverbank, looking at the water with desire but without the strength to cross. I am not one to judge them, but that path rarely leads to self-love. When you follow your soul's impulse and cross the river despite your internal ghosts, the victory isn't the destination; it’s having conquered your own shadow. It is the peace of knowing you didn't sit idly by while life passed you over.

Why choose the uncertainty of "what could have been"?

Many look for excuses not to chase their dreams. The path to success is the most difficult, but the most rewarding; the desire for easy and fast results only dissolves true greatness. We are all capable of fulfilling our dreams, but the question is: Are you willing to face your own monsters?

My own story is proof of this. I was a very young mother and decided not to marry at that time because I had a dream: to study Fashion Design in Europe. I worked, I saved, and I left. The world judged me, and I was left with no choice but to face a chauvinistic, conservative, and punishing society. We are talking about 25 years ago, when it was unthinkable to grant custody to the father to pursue self-actualization (the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy).

If I had given up, I would have been a coward for life, giving power to the "what will they say" of a society expert at judging without mercy. I wasn't going to play the game of appearances or double standards; a person with purpose flies above those limitations. Giving up on that childhood dream would have meant dying while still alive.

Perhaps today, on the doorstep of 2026, there are still people who don't understand my point of view. They might call me selfish or irresponsible. To this day, I am still repairing the consequences of my decisions, but if there is one thing I am not, it is a coward. I did what my heart dictated, and that was stronger. Sometimes life places you before the difficult path (the path of the soul) or the easy path (the rational, comfortable, and predictable one). Today, at 43, I look back and see more people daring to chase their dreams despite adversity… perhaps I wasn't so wrong; perhaps I was just ahead of my time.

Do not let your story be a blueprint of what could have been but never was, and never let others thwart your dreams. Remember this: time is the only resource that cannot be recovered.

I hope that one day my son understands me, but teaching is delivered through example. Never a coward.

With much love, I dedicate this blog to my beloved Diego Ignacio.