July 2024
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    34 Comments

    1. First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell.

      In fact anything by Gemmell:

      Chronicles of the Deathwalker,
      Legend,
      Waylander,
      Winter Warriors.

    2. If you haven’t already, try listening to stuff about Marcus Aurelius or read his book meditations

    3. The Four Feathers by A E.W. Mason is pretty much about a man going from cowardly to brave. It’s also just an epic adventure read.

      L.M. Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside has a very poignant subplot about one of her brothers being afraid to enlist in WWI.

    4. Two years vacation & Journey to the centre of earth by Jules Verne.

      The adventures of Huckleberry Finn

      All these books are a very good start if you want to be introduced to bravery.

    5. Desperate-Barnacle-4 on

      The books that immediately spring to mind are His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Harry Potter (series), Hunger Games (series).

    6. Veridical_Perception on

      You may want to read a book on assertiveness (from a suggested reading list):

      * Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality in Your Life and Relationships By Robert Alberti, PhD and Michel Emmons, PhD
      * The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships By Randy J. Paterson PhD and psychologist.
      * When I Say No I Feel Guilty: How to Cope, Using the Skills of Systematic Assertive Therapy By Manuel J. Smith, PhD.
      * Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control Of Your Life By John Townsend, PhD psychologist and Henry Cloud, PhD
      * Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty… And Start Speaking Up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, And Unapologetically Being Yourself By Dr. Aziz Gazipura PsyD

      I don’t think fictional or “inspirational” books with characters who are “brave” would provide the key tools and skills necessary to improve. You need practical and tangible steps to begin to become less “cowardly” in your life.

    7. I’m not sure courage can be learned from fiction, but here’s some books that come to mind:

      *Dune* by Frank Herbert

      *To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee

      *The Hobbit* by JRR Tolkien

      *The Lord of the Rings* by JRR Tolkien

    8. Have you ever heard about Rincewind?
      He is the mc of several books of the Discworld series.
      He is a wizard, not a very good one, he can’t cast spells and is somewhat too lazy to finish his studies at the Unseen University.
      But first and foremost he is a massive coward. Like you wouldn‘t believe how massive a coward he is. Let me put it this way. Death, another MC in the Discworld series has an hourglass for everybody on the Disc, when the sand has been run through he does his reaping business, scythe and all.
      Rincewind‘s hourglass is so warped because he repeatedly escaped Death. That’s how much of a coward he is.
      Make no mistake, Rincewind is constantly pulled in adventures to fight against Demons or to save the Disc or far away continents.
      My point here is, I should reread the Discworld series and you should start it.
      It’s great world building, great characters and amazing humor. Even if it won’t make you brave, you’re in for a hell of a ride.

    9. SnarkAndAcrimony on

      Prince of Fools, and it’s sequels (Red Queen’s War trilogy) by Mark Lawrence stars a coward. You might enjoy it.

    10. Witty_Peach_8024 on

      Toastmasters. Dale Carnegie. Biography George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman. Stories of real people overcoming their challenges. Stop calling yourself cowardly. The fact you are asking for help shows you aren’t a coward.

    11. *The Story of Ferdinand* by Munro Leaf – it’s a children’s book so will take about five minutes to read.

      *Dead Poets Society* is a movie, but it’s about courage.

    12. I remember playing resident evil 7 for the first time. I was hella scared at first but half way I stopped being scared and started just started cussing out the monsters to psych myself up. id say that game made me a bit more brave.

    13. I suggest you to not be a coward, people usually don’t care about you or anyone, so why being a coward.

      The art of not giving a fuck might help

    14. Throwaway1273167 on

      Wheel of time – 14 volumes
      Remember, this is no easy task.
      Fiction is like reprogramming your brain. You let your ego consciousness take a walk with the characters of the book, into the unknown, and emerge from it a changed mind.
      The series is sprawling into universe, but the deeper and wider than it is the more it connects. At the end it’s on brought back, and you emerge as a new person.

    15. A book that actually did this for me was called “Wreck This Journal” by Keri Smith.

      You have to get an actual copy (no ebook) and you have to commit yourself to actually going through and doing the things that it says. Sometimes it’s hard.

      Made me less of a perfectionist and also less hesitant in life in general. Definitely gained confidence and I’ve given it as a gift many times.

    16. You won’t find the answers in fiction books. I admire your pursuit to be a stronger person so I recommend The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Green. It’s a wonderful book about humanity and full of real life examples and stories of humanity. It’s a powerful book that can really help you understand more about yourself and fear other’s less. Give it read.

    17. fraulien_buzz_kill on

      Being shy doesn’t mean you’re a coward. There is probably a reason you have trouble asserting yourself, and a reason why you are internalizing this as a lack of bravery (many quite people are incredibly brave, many loud assertive people are cowardly). Maybe if you have access to it try talking to a therapist? I recently realize I get disproportionately frustrated with small set backs at work because I have tied my ego to my work success, this was incredibly liberating to realize because now I can choose not to and become more resilient to small failures and criticism.

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