Welcome

Welcome to Better Off Brave.

It is truly a pleasure to have you here. I started Better Off Brave because I realized that the one thing in life that I lacked, that I could change, was being brave. I have not lived the brave life, that I could have or should have. I have led the life that my weight dictated. I have let my weight control me my entire life. I am a daredevil in my head. I can see myself riding the waves, hiking up that mountain, and I can even see myself on the slopes of Aspen. My daredevil hasn’t learned how to be brave yet. She’s working on that.

I have been overweight since I was 10 years old. I went on vacation with my family and learned how to eat like overweight adults. I learned that when you go to a hot dog restaurant, bragging is saying I hate 10 hot dogs. Normal humans do not eat 10 hot dogs! No one should eat 10 hot dogs! I remember my aunt telling my mom that her 10-year-old ate 10 hot dogs. I thought my mom would die. She has never forgotten that day because that was the day my life spun out of control. That was a traumatic vacation for many reasons, but this is not the time nor the place where those reasons hold any value. My life going forward is about value. My life today is all about what I can cram into a day that makes me happy and productive.

I am where I want to be in life. I am married, I have my Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology, I have my MBA in Project Management and I have a successful career in the petroleum industry in Texas. I live in a beautiful home, drive a great SUV, and have my cats. My point is… SO WHAT??? What value does that bring to the world other than bragging rights at your next high school reunion. Being brave means, I am going to that next reunion, right?… Ummm well we will see. I am certainly not that timid, fat girl from school. Now I am just a fat girl with an MBA trying to be brave.
I have seen a lot in my short life, much of which hasn’t been great. I haven’t done the things I want to do outside of marriage and education. To be honest with you I never wanted to get married. It wasn’t part of my plan. I wanted children, not out of wedlock, but at the same time I didn’t want to be married. Illogical I know, but I am being honest.

I never did have any children; I suppose those babies were not in God’s plan for me. I am a very faithful person and I know that God puts me where He wants me, and I know He will move mountains to make sure I get there. I suppose part of this journey for me is faith based. I want to be a better human, a better Christian, and a better “me” all together.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that there will be days that just go wrong, or I feel like crap, or I have no drive to be productive, or add value to the world. Heck, some weeks that is every day. My goal is being happy. I realized that I was not happy. There was truly nothing in life that was making me happy. My husband could be doing nothing wrong, and being exactly who I needed him to be, but I still was not happy. It wasn’t him; it was me. No, really it was me. When we feel like we are of no value to the world or we think we do not serve a purpose, then we are not happy people. I wasn’t put on earth to just work, do laundry, clean the cat box, and go to bed just so that I can do it all again tomorrow. This isn’t about perfection. This is truly about a journey I have been craving for a long time. Being Brave, Being Productive, and finding my purpose in this life, that is my journey to being Brave. There is a line in a Jimmy Buffett song that says, “I would rather die while I’m living then live while I’m dead.” So today we start living and we start being Brave!!

Thank you again for being here!
XOXO, Nicole