I’ve watched only two or three TED talks in my life. I don’t know why I’ve resisted them all this time. 

I sat down to watch a TED talk this morning about girls and bravery, given by former San Francisco firefighter Caroline Paul. Now she pilots paragliders and travels around doing other wildly adventurous activities. 

I loved her talk on encouraging bravery in young girls. And I think almost anyone could gain some inspiration from it. 

One thing I took away was that my instinct to encourage my daughter Reese to climb higher and take risks on the playground when she was younger was a good thing. 

And just yesterday when she was the only girl to show up at flag football, she overcame her fear and played with confidence (and scored her first touchdown). She didn’t let overhearing boys saying “You’re gonna let a GIRL beat you?” scare her off. Sometimes bravery comes in the form of mental toughness rather than physical. 

So if you have a young girl in your life, whether it’s a daughter or niece or granddaughter or friend, watch this TED Talk. And then come back and let’s discuss! 

Maybe we will even become braver ourselves.