Sometimes people will do something that seems phenomenally brave to outsiders as a way of avoiding what would appear to those same outsiders as an incredibly minor fear.
We all fear things differently. What seems brave to you might be because of your level of anxiety about that topic. If you’re afraid of heights, it might seem very brave to you that I climb onto my roof to fix something. But if I’m not afraid of heights, then it’s pretty routine.
So maybe someone is base-jumping, but maybe they’re also base-jumping as a way of avoiding a difficult conversation with a loved one – the thing they really fear.
Go where you’re powerful, sure. But don’t hang bravery over your fear like a portrait covering a hole in the wall. Some things need to be fixed directly.
The Opportunity Machine 