„Much coldness is among humans because we dare not give ourselves as warmly as we are.“ – Albert Schweitzer

When was the last time I was really brave?
This question is harder to answer than I thought.

In the routine of everyday life, I rarely take time to reflect on whether I, or others, perceive actions of mine as courageous.
Looking back, I can say today that in my ‘wild years’ I was more reckless than brave, and it was good that way, because this recklessness allowed me to experience very exciting, beautiful and unforgettable moments in many different places on our planet – for that I am incredibly grateful 🙏🏻 thankful that I was always very protected in my recklessness.
Today, that ‘youthful’ recklessness has turned into courage, courage to be the woman I want to be without having to pretend. What is there to be afraid of?
Hermann Hesse says, “People with courage and character are always very scary to other people.” – I also see myself a little bit as such a ‘scary person’ and yet I want to be much more courageous and look up to people who, for example, put everything down overnight to follow their dreams. These role models give me hope and reinforce my desire that it’s never too late to break out of your usual routine and free yourself from the burdens of your own fears and concerns.

👉What was your bravest decision in your life?
👉Does our planet need more courageous people – what courageous role models do you have?
👉In which situations would you like to be more courageous?

🙍🏻‍♀️🇯🇵🇦🇹 Mariko Pfriemer

I first saw Mariko in the school year of 1993/94 at the Austrian Commercial College BHAK Polgarstraße at the Stadlauer Straße location and subsequently taught her and her classmate’s history and geography. Her fine, loyal, interested, responsible manner fascinated me even then and I am really happy that our school encounter has turned into a warm long-distance friendship. Mariko is a passionate flight attendant, enjoys foreign languages, loves cross-country skiing, Nordic walking and hiking, as well as mountains and nature. She lives in Tyrol with her adorable daughter Yuki and her partner.

👩🏼🇩🇪🇦🇹Mia Ludwig

Mia and her husband Dennis have been my new neighbors from Hamburg for over a year now – and I’m more than happy about that. Mia studied tourism management and business psychology and is a self-employed distributor of essential oils as well as other 100% natural products and organizes yoga retreats in Germany and Europe. In her free time, she loves spending time in nature, doing yoga, reading and spending time with her husband, friends and family.

I admire Mia for her warmth and inner and outer beauty as well as her commitment to Mother Earth.

🙎‍♀️🇮🇹 Emanuela Soro

My Sardinian friend Lisa showed me her homeland in August 2020 and also introduced me to her wonderful friend Emanuela and her husband Marco – Today I am still grateful for their warm and exquisite hospitality and for an unforgettable birthday at the ‘house beach’ in Chia in the south of Sardinia. I admire Emanuela for her graceful and warm nature.

🙍🏻‍♀️🇯🇵🇦🇹 Mariko Pfriemer

👉What was your bravest decision in your life?

I grew up in Vienna. My family and close friends all still live in or around Vienna. In 1998 I moved to Burgenland because of my then husband and became a mother of a baby girl in 2012. Life with my husband was getting more and more difficult and the pressure of suffering was increasing. I was so unhappy that I was convinced that I couldn’t and didn’t want to go on like this. At the age of 39 I decided to start a new life in Tyrol, where I like it and where I don’t have to be a stranger anymore. Of course, it was not easy to start a new life as a single parent in a foreign environment, far away from my family and friends, but it was not only the bravest but also the best decision of my life! That was 7 years ago now…

👉Does our planet need more courageous people – which brave role models do you have?

Immediately my life partner comes to mind with brave. He’s not only very brave because he’s a skydiver and jumps out of a plane from dizzying heights, but mainly because…

… he has learned from the mistakes his father made with him as a child and does it differently with “our” daughter. He is a person who has the courage not to pretend and to meet people openly and honestly and to address things directly before it comes to misinterpretations and not everyone can handle that well. Unfortunately, many people are not so courageous, because they take the path of least resistance. I also consider brave all those people who live the way they feel is good and right – no matter what society thinks about them.

👉In which situations would you like to be more courageous?

There are situations in which I would like to be more courageous to say “no” when I realize that I don’t have the capacity.

👩🏼🇩🇪🇦🇹Mia Ludwig

👉What was your bravest decision in your life?

I think my bravest decision was to start my own business without knowing an exact plan and against my family’s expectations. I was expected to pursue a corporate career after my business degree – but that didn’t feel right to me. So after graduating and traveling for a while, I decided to take a part-time job and realized my dream of working independently and self-directed on the side. Now I love my life and the freedoms it offers me, although of course, like everywhere, there are ups and downs. I wish more people would have the courage to make their dreams come true.

👉Does our planet need more courageous people – what courageous role models do you have?

Most definitely, our planet needs more courageous people – I really appreciate people who are extraordinarily committed to protecting the Earth, such as Luisa Neubauer, a climate protection activist from my home in Hamburg. It takes courage to stand up to the establishment and the giant lobby to bring about change. But even each of us can do something good for our planet with a little courage – by giving up animal products more and more, or at least once in a while, by producing less waste and consuming less plastic, by avoiding chemicals in food, cleaning agents and cosmetics, and by supporting brands that work against climate change and not for it.

👉In which situations would you like to be more courageous?

I would like to be more courageous in approaching other people. Although I am an open and communicative person, I often find it difficult to approach strangers or even ask for things. This probably results from a fear of rejection that arose in my childhood. If I can dissolve this fear and the belief system that goes along with it, I can also be more courageous when dealing with strangers. Because what do I have to lose? Nothing! Even if I get a no, this says nothing about me as a person.
Be brave and dare to be exactly as you are – because that’s how you are best!

🙎‍♀️🇮🇹Emanuela Soro

👉What was your bravest decision in your life?

The answer is not simple. My courageous actions are such because they are the result of unconsciousness, instinct and not generated by reflection. True courage is that which is reasoned, metabolized and achieved with targeted actions. In any case, I consider my bravest gesture to be the daily struggle against the status quo of my workplace; a daily struggle with my boss but that makes me intellectually free and straightforward.

👉Does our planet need more courageous people – what courageous role models do you have?

My model of courage is he / she who, without spotlights, newspaper pages, cameras and likes, fights for a right or for their own freedom. I am thinking of Afghan, Iranian and African women. I think of these women who, knowing that they are risking their lives, fight for a better life. Being born in the right, democratic, liberal, wealthy country is obvious for those born there, but it’s just a damn thing of luck.

👉In which situations would you like to be more courageous?

My bravest gesture would undoubtedly be to change jobs. I do not like the daily routine and the toxic dynamics of the working environment but, since I temperamentally act on impulse, I literally lack the courage to do so. Basically, I am afraid of losing my comfort zone, my good quality of life that compensates for my job dissatisfaction. I probably haven’t found my new target yet!