Refuse to Cower

How the world sees you is, to some extent, up to you.  You can learn to influence this.  Of course, your basic nature, your inner integrity, cannot be hidden.  But your light will shine forth better if you help it.  One of the things a smart hat wearer does is refuse to be a sniveling coward.  I am not advocating fool hardy and bombastic behavior.  It is wise to be discrete.  But if you cower, your self image will shrivel.  I think it is a good idea right now to discuss what cowering is.  Fear is natural and can be helpful.  We can take a warning from our fear and prepare to face danger.  But to cower is to admit and exaggerate our fear without allowing our mind to think of ways to face and conquer that fear.  Here is a good scenario: A test is presented. A WOW reaction is felt.  You admit the test seems like an overwhelming obstacle.  Then your wise self kicks in.  You take on the test as a challenge.  Even one correct answer is a win.  Being calm will help you dredge up any knowledge or strategies you have.  So you calm yourself. You do not cower.  Most likely you will score higher than you expected.  This simple piece of paper will not bring you to your knees.  You are wearing your smart hat.  You are smarter than you think.