## _Valor:_
#### _Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle._
_Boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in a battle; heroic courage; bravery_
#### Synonyms: bravery, courage, pluck, nerve, daring, fearlessness, audacity, boldness, stout- heartedness heroism, backbone, spirit
[](https://yellow-blog-images.imgix.net/2016/07/VALOR-ipad.jpg)
Bravery, courage, pluck, nerve, daring, fearless, audacious, bold, heroic, backbone, _spirit_...All these are synonyms to our next theme: **Valor.**
Each word associated with **Valor** has a _punch_ behind it. A rally cry to pick yourself up from where you fell, to shake the dust off your fallen knees and wash the blood off your scraped hands; a rally cry to pick up that paintbrush and let some colorful mess get on your cheeks as you push your fallen hair strands to the side; a rally cry to let yourself be, create, and press onward to what means most to not only you, but to your _heart._
_A rally cry to have an unwavering dedication, an unruly commitment to pursue that which makes your heart burst alive; **alive in such a way that cannot be contained.**_
But there's something else about this word I discovered...Something powerful that refuses to be ignored...when looking up the root of Valor, I discovered that it's stemmed from the Middle English meaning for _**worth.** _
Now, there are a lot of opinions and writings out there that speak on your worth, good and bad. There's social media and magazines and blogs and people that scream at us what being _worthy _looks like, talks like, and acts like (again, good and bad). And I am not here today to comment on your worth besides this:** _I think you're worth it. We, Yellow Co., believe you are worth it._**
But, taking the word a step further, I want to share this:
It takes _courage_ to create.
It takes fearlessness to be yourself, to be vulnerable and open and authentic with not only others, but truly, with yourself.
It takes audacity to put your passions out there, to share what your art is with others.
It is heroic to get up after you've fallen (the wounded warriors are the ones that receive the Purple Heart, right?).
It takes backbone to say, **_I will carry on._**
**_And each of these leaps are worth it.
_****They are worth pursuing wholeheartedly, because what makes your heart come alive _is worth it._**
What barricades have you faced as you step out into creative battle? What obstacles have you triumphed to get where you are today? Or what are you struggling through right now? Is it confidence in your business model? Confidence in yourself, your career choice, your skills, and/or abilities?
**_It takes courage to create.
_**_It takes courage to be yourself.
__It takes bravery to do what you love,
__to be vulnerable,
__to share your passion and art with others.
_
We have all overcome something, and we are all daring to face something new. It takes boldness and determination to face the great danger of the battle. **It takes heroism to declare war over our fears, our doubts, our pasts and mistakes head on.**
Over the next three months, we're going to be sharing stories, thoughts, and tools to step out and live courageously. Not necessarily without fear _(it's just not natural to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon without some heavy breathing)_ but more in reverence to what causes us to shy away. Creativity, in any capacity, is vulnerable. Vulnerability is sacred. There should be a reverence towards it that may cause the butterflies to stir and the mind to shift for a moment-but, girl, you are a warrior.
We were made for battle.
So, let's do this-let's run into battle with our fists in the air, with our rally cry on our lips. Let's dare to be real, creative, and passionate artists that are secure as we face the inescapable barriers that threaten our journey to living our fullest lives.
[](http://lettersfromamister.tumblr.com/)