Braver. Stronger. Smarter. Loved.

This week’s episode is all about breaking down this timeless quote:
 “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.” 💛

We’ll talk about
 -Bravery doesn’t always look like climbing mountains—it can be saying “I need help.”
-Strength isn’t always loud—it can be getting out of bed on a heavy day.
-Intelligence isn’t just book smarts—it’s problem-solving, empathy, and wisdom from experience.
-And that love surrounds us daily—even in the smallest gestures.

Let’s live this quote and reinforce who we are and how worthy we are!

Transcript

Hey friends, welcome back to the show. I’m so glad you pressed play today. Whether you’re here for the very first time or you’ve been with me for a while, I just want to take a second and say thank you. Thank you for giving yourself this moment, for choosing to slow down and listen, and for showing up for yourself. And if someone shared this with you, then take a quick minute at the end of this to thank them for caring about you. 

So I have been a big lover of quotes for decades. I’ve collected quotes and those that follow me on Instagram (peacebypeace24), you know I collect positive quotes and sayings from others and share them. Well there’s one that I have always loved and it came up out of the blue this week and I’ve never really looked into it much as to who said it but it’s been around for a long time, but it still carries so much wisdom. And as I was helping someone this past week, I realized this person really needed to not only hear this but to really take it in so once again, I feel like the universe puts things in our paths at the right time. You’ve probably heard this quote before and as I was doing some research for this, it’s often attributed to A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh. The quote goes like this:

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”

Now, you might have read that before and thought, “Oh, that’s just so sweet.” But I want to go deeper today and break it down so you can think about this and apply this in your own lives. Because these aren’t just nice words, they’re reminders we can actually live by. And when we start to embody them, little by little, they can change the way we see ourselves, the way we handle challenges, and the way we move through life.

So, let’s get rolling and take this one piece at a time.

You Are Braver Than You Believe

Bravery is often pictured as this grand, cinematic act, someone running into danger, climbing Mount Everest, or rescuing someone from a burning building. But most of the time, bravery doesn’t look like that. Many times bravery is very quiet and unannounced, or it can be small but courageous acts of self care.

It might look like saying “I need help” when you’ve been trying to carry it all on your own.
 It might look like walking into therapy for the first time, heart pounding, but doing it anyway.
 It might look like forgiving someone, even when part of you wants to hold on to anger, but you forgive because you know that your peace matters more than being right.

Bravery isn’t about not being afraid. It’s about carrying fear with you and still moving forward in life. And sometimes bravery can be just be the quiet decision you make when no one is watching. It’s the choice to keep trying, to keep showing up, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed especially when it’s not guaranteed, even when the path is hard and you’re so unsure of each step, but you keep going.

So let’s put this into action and identify some small ways to practice bravery today:

• Make that phone call you’ve been putting off, whether it’s to have a difficult conversation or maybe it’s because you have drifted apart for a while. Take that step and make that call.
• Be honest about how you’re really doing when someone asks. Don’t just give the “I’m fine” standard response. You don’t have to share every detail but you can share, “you know, I’m having hard day today. I know I’ll get thru it, but it’s just hard right now.” That vulnerability and honesty builds trust and strengthens connections.
• Try something new, sign up for a class, taste a food you’ve never tried, introduce yourself to someone new, maybe a new neighbor or coworker. Get out of your comfort zone because outside of that zone is where bravery can bring you to growth.

Do one thing that scares you a little because each of these little acts chips away at fear, can increase your confidence, and builds your bravery muscle.

The next part...You Are Stronger Than You Seem

Strength isn’t just about physical ability, it’s about resilience. And the funny thing is, most of us don’t realize how strong we are until looking back. Think of the moments you thought, “This will break me, I will never get over this.” And yet, you’re still here. Maybe a little scarred, maybe a little different, but still standing. That’s strength. Sometimes strength is dramatic, like training for and pushing through a marathon...I know someone right now that is training for the New York Marathon and the strength she has not just to run all the miles to get ready but the emotional strength, the inner strength I think is harder than the physical legs and lungs strength. But other times it’s as simple as getting out of bed when grief or anxiety feels crushing. When the weight of the world feels overwhelming, just getting up and motivating yourself can feel like you need the strength of running those 26.2 miles.

But there’s also a softer kind of strength, choosing to rest and listening to your body and mind. Setting boundaries and staying true to them takes strength. Saying no to others and saying yes to yourself takes strength. Strength isn’t always loud with grunting and groaning as you pick up and slam 200 pounds to the ground. Sometimes it’s quiet, steady, and unseen as you do what you need to do for yourself.

So here’s some ways to remind yourself of your strength:

• Make a list of five obstacles you thought you couldn’t overcome but did. Keep it where you can see it so you can remind yourself of how strong you know you can be. 
• When life feels heavy, use that strength and tell yourself: “I’ve carried heavy things before. I can carry this too.” Remember what those survival stories were and know that you are a survivor. And not just a survivor but you know you can thrive!
• Notice small victories when you’re feeling overwhelmed and mentally low, washing the dishes, going for a walk, finishing that work project. Strength shows up in the everyday when we do things we don’t really want to do or feel like we don’t have the energy to do but we find the strength and we do them. And when you do, add that to the list, validate yourself and be proud of the strength that you found.

Remember: strength isn’t measured by how perfectly you handle life, but by the fact that you keep showing up for life and you keep going and growing.

The third part is You Are Smarter Than You Think

Let’s talk about intelligence and I don’t simply mean how they measure it in school. We live in a world that loves to rank and measure it, grades, diplomas, IQ tests. But being “smart” is so much bigger than that. You’re smart when you figure out how to stretch your paycheck until the end of the month, being creative with your money, with your food and cooking, with that side hustle that gets you a little bit more. You’re smart when you navigate a tough conversation without letting it get personal, staying away from low blows, you’re smart by not letting it explode. You’re smart when you teach your child kindness by modeling it in your own behavior and reinforcing that by recognizing when they are kind and help their classmates, or help other family members. There’s IQ for how much stuff you know but there’s also EQ, emotional quotient, emotional intelligence. There’s creative intelligence in figuring things out that are outside the box and maybe not typical but they work.

You might not always feel smart because self-doubt creeps in. Maybe you compare yourself to others. But think about the fact that every time you solve a problem, every time you adapt, every time you find a way forward, you’re proving your intelligence.

So how do you find says to build confidence in your wisdom:

• Redefine what smart looks like for you, get away from just book smart or school smart. Maybe you’re a deep listener, a natural teacher, or a problem-solver. Claim that and be proud of that.
• Stay curious, read a few pages of a book especially one that might offer a new way of thinking. I love reading and I always have 2 books going...one that is what I call my fluffy book..it’s a quick read like a suspense or mystery and then I have something educational. It could be a memoir learning about someone else’s life, it could be ways to age more actively, it could be history but something to learn. Maybe watch a documentary, ask someone about their story if you are not into reading. No matter how you feed the curiosity, that curiosity then feeds intelligence.
• And trust your instincts. Often, your intuition is your brain making connections faster than you can consciously process, that gut feeling is actually your brain putting all those subconscious things together and sending you a signal.

You are smarter than you think, not because you know everything, but because you’re constantly learning, adapting, and growing. You’re doing it just be listening today so give yourself a pat on the back right now.

And finally, You Are Loved More Than You Know

This is probably one of the most important parts of this and this is the part many of us forget most. Life can feel lonely, especially in seasons of change, grief, or transition. But love shows up in ways we sometimes overlook and there are so many versions of love that we don’t appreciate. Love isn’t just the girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife..It’s the friend who remembers your coffee order. The coworker who sends you a quick “you did great” message after a meeting. The neighbor who waves every morning. The parent who still worries about whether you ate lunch and drops off your favorite snack. The family member who checks in on you and asks how they can help when you’re down. Even strangers can offer love, through kindness by holding a door for you, thru compassion if they see you’re having a hard day, or a simple random smile. 

And then, there’s self-love. The way you talk to yourself. The care you give your body. The grace you extend when you don’t meet your own expectations. In fact, what most of us don’t realize is the love we most need is the love we learn to give ourselves. The love we give ourselves is the most important, the most constant and needs to be the one that we always rely on. I know many of you are not there yet, you don’t feel that self love but I can assure you, while it can be one of the hardest journey to go thru, it is worth every step and you will never regret finding that love inside of you that has always been there. And once you tap into that, your life will change in the most amazing ways to more peace...solid and sustainable peace and love.

So how do you recognize love in your life:

• Keep a gratitude journal of people who show you they care and how they did it. Look for love and the ways that love has touched your life. Your brain is wired to always want to be right...I spoke about this before about how if your brain is looking for a white car, you all of a sudden see a lot of white cars. So start looking for love, you will be amazed at how much is around you and you never notice.
• Pay attention to micro-moments: someone opening a door, sending a heart emoji, or simply listening. They may seem small, but they are just as important as the big moments, if not more so, because once you start paying attention, you will see more and more of these little micro moments and feel love all around you.
• Look in the mirror and remind yourself: I am worthy of love, exactly as I am. Mel Robbins does a high 5 challenge where you look at yourself in the eye, in the mirror and you give yourself a high five, a physical high five against the mirror. She basically says that our brains are wired to see a high five as a positive from the time we are young, it reinforces good feelings so doing it to yourself every morning can completely change how you see yourself and start your day in a way that can help you be more kind and gentle to yourself.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it, especially when you don’t feel like it, you are loved in more ways than you can possibly see so at the very least, begin to explore and expand your own self love to support you thru whatever life throws at you.

So let’s circle back to that quote:
 “Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”

These words aren’t just encouragement. They’re anchors. They’re a compass you can hold on to when the winds of life feel too strong and is rocking you from the outside, these words can anchor you from the inside. The next time fear, doubt, or loneliness whispers in your ear, speak these words back to yourself. Carry them like a shield, because they’re not about who you need to become, they’re about who you already are. You’ll start to see yourself differently. Not because life suddenly got easier, but because you remembered what was already true about you.

Thank you for spending this time with me today. If this episode spoke to you, I’d love for you to share it with at least one other person who might need the reminder too, that they are brave, they are strong, they are smart and they are very much loved. Keep reminding yourself, keep proving this quote to be true, and you will change your life and you will see all the love around you, little by little and peace by peace.