Even when there is no star in sight.

I love Mumford and Sons. And they are going to help us understand the A in BRAVING.

A: Accountability.

I define accountability as holding myself accountable to not making choices that compromise my core. And this is so much easier said than done. For every “yes” we give, when we want to say no, for every compromise we make that feels untrue, for every burning house we enter, crashed car we get into, we give up little bits of ourselves. The reason…Oh…so many.

We compare ourselves to others. We try our damnedest to please. We don’t ask for what we need or what we want because we are afraid of rejection. Sometimes, we get so lost in these things we can’t even name what we need or what we want. We simply become lost. So lost, we become unrecognizable to ourselves.

Now, the real fight begins (enter Mumford and Sons).

But don’t just slip away in the night
Don’t just hurl your words from on high…
If we come back and we’re broken
Unworthy and ashamed
Give us something to believe in
And you know we’ll go your way
‘Cause I know I had it all on the line
But don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind
‘Cause even when there is no star in sight
You’ll always be my only guiding light

Sometimes we will unintentionally give up so much of us that we become broken. Sometimes we will feel unworthy and ashamed. Sometimes we will want to sit with folded hands and become blind. Sometimes there is no star in sight. And when this happens, you’ve got to figure out how to find your guiding light. You have to find you. Because you are the guiding light. You are your north star. You must hold yourself accountable to finding the stars.

Super big thank you to Kathy Plunkett Photography for the photo…reminding us that find ourselves sometimes can look like a beautiful mess.

Remember, believe in your selfie, because if you don’t who will?