We’re All Data Gatherers
Using Data to Power Your Brave Journey
We are all just gathering data…
“Data” has been the buzzword for the last few years, and honestly in corporate speak it works my nerves (best way to put it)…often because it comes with limited access to the right information, a mismatch between what we need and what we can actually find, or it’s a clever way to hide bias behind the claim that “data doesn’t lie” (which, of course, isn’t true).
I digress. It shouldn’t affect me as much as it does, because since the beginning of time we’ve used information to guide our decisions, to find courage during trying moments, and to decide when it’s time to stay or go. That information may have been incomplete or shaped by the stories we told ourselves, but it’s powered everything from daily routines to the biggest choices of our lives.
This week the One Brave Thing Challenge begins, and we’re applying that same approach. Using the ROOT framework (Reflect, Open, Overcome, Thrive), we’re gathering the insights we need each week to make brave choices. You’ve been invited to pick one brave thing this week and to lean into these journal prompts as your guide:
What thoughts, habits, or fears are keeping me stuck right now?
What patterns am I ready to release?
How does acknowledging these barriers create space for change?
The heart of this week is twofold: first, recognize that you’ve already been brave in the past even when survival felt like the only option. Then use that awareness to surface what’s holding you back now, what needs to fall away, and how you can clear room for real change.
Collecting this initial data makes way for the next step: becoming open to new mindsets, new opportunities, new relationships, and ultimately a brave, liberative lifestyle. We don’t have to be defined by our struggles but by the courage it took to overcome them.
For me, that looks like the time I was wrongfully terminated after false accusations and threats that shook me to my core. The hurt still surfaces, but it’s matched by the memory of my own faith and determination to find solid ground again without holding on to a grudge or losing myself in anger (i.e. flipping a few tables). I’ve captured so many moments where I showed up for myself; those unrecognized acts of courage shaped the woman I am today, full of love, curiosity, “still in progress softness,” and evolving strength.
What’s one brave thing you’ve done in the past that went unrecognized?