This morning I listened to a TED talk about why we need to train our girls to be brave.

For me, I’ve always been encouraged to do wild things. To climb higher, to try something new, to run faster, to dream bigger. However, the reality is that this upbringing isn’t normal for most girls. Most girls live in a world that wants to limit them.

We teach our girls to be cautious, to the play it safe, and to avoid failure.

Caroline Paul says: “Bravery is learned, and like anything learned, it just needs to be practiced. So first, we have to take a deep breath and encourage our girls to skateboard, climb trees and clamber around on that playground fire pole.”

My first-hand experience with sheltered little girls was with this family I was babysitting. These girls were so safe they wouldn’t go down a slide without holding my hand.

I began to speak into their lives to encourage bravery. I would tell them that they were brave. I would encourage small behaviors like jumping off the bottom step on a set of stairs, letting me push them just one push higher on the swings, and not being afraid to jump in a puddle when it rained.

Slowly they began to tell me that they were brave.

When we tell ourselves something, we start to believe it. Not long after that, they began to believe that they were brave.

See, our beliefs directly impact our actions.

As these girls began to believe they were brave, they became brave. I think it’s time we start telling ourselves we are brave, day in and day out until we believe it.

It’s time to chase our dreams, to achieve our goals, and to adventure more than we ever thought possible.