6. When I was 17.

I think that to be brave, you’ve got to be at least little bit scared. And there’s so much to be scared about – if you disagree, consider the things you’re too scared to admit.

There’s been countless times I’ve had to be brave – one of the most memorable was when I started university in 2023. To come from a small town was daunting albeit exciting. I remember pushing down all anxieties in a rush to get to my accommodation, move-in and meet my flat mates. After my family drove off waving, I knew there was no turning back and I felt my stomach drop. It was the best thing I ever did. So much good has come from me being scared and doing it anyways.

Though, it’s important to do so in moderation. There’s no point being brave, scared and underprepared. For me, managing everything that came with the first year of uni was enough for me to be getting on with. It was in my second year that I worked up the courage to go to football trials and end up making the team. (Woo!)

Something I’ve discovered is the drive. Finding and channelling the drive is something utterly awakening. It’s when your enthusiasm for something outweighs and dismantles the worries that come with going out of your comfort zone. It’s when you do something out of pure passion because you know something could come from it. It’s those moments that you care about most – always remember that you wouldn’t feel so deeply if you did not care.

Owning up to my anxieties is a huge part of who I am becoming. Looking back, something that means a lot to me was how brave I was when I was 17.

At the time I was set on pursuing a career in psychology/mental health and I was searching for work experience. Eventually, I came across a charity called The Wave Project and it all just clicked into place. This was not going to be some regular work experience; I would be helping young people of all abilities surf along the coast of North Devon, the drive kicked in.

This was a proper adventure and so different to what anyone I knew was doing. I was scared every day and did it anyways. Being there, surrounded by people who were just as passionate about what they were doing and who they were helping, they probably didn’t even realise how much it was helping me. I’m ever so grateful to those I worked alongside and to myself for acknowledging that it was only so scary because I cared.  

With the more you do, the more you begin to grasp the mentality of “it’s nothing I haven’t done before.” So, if you haven’t “done it before,” now is a pretty good time to start.

“it was only so scary because I cared.”