Boldness is Its Own Reward

When you read the article title, does it rev you up or make you want to crawl back under the covers? Let's look at what it means and go from there.

The dictionary offers several meanings for the word bold, not all of them nice. One of its definitions is fearless. There's a difference between boldness and courage: courage means taking action even if you're fearful.

I think it's a mistake to believe you have to be either bold or courageous one hundred percent of the time, in the sense most people think of them. Do you know anyone who's like that? Are you absolutely certain it's all the time?

Frankly, I think I'm courageous more often than bold. I know people who are typically bold and I'm not like them. These people tend to say whatever they think more often than not; and they don't usually pause to wonder if they should. They say yes more often than not; they take risks. Some of these risks are ones I'd consider or would do and others aren't. They're not overly concerned about what other people think about them, or, at least, that's how it appears; but I know for a fact they care to some degree. They just don?t let what someone else might or does think stop them if there's something they really want to do. They are often ready-fire-aim types.

I possess some of their traits, but that kind of forceful personality is not who I am. It's not my nature. Over time, I've taught myself to shift from waiting until everything is "perfect" before moving forward, but I'm still a ready-aim-fire type. Perfection is a belief and an illusion, and it's just not fun. Neither is standing still or stagnating.

"I would rather be loathed for who I am, than loved for who I am not." --Wayne Dyer

Who you are is who you are. You may decide to tweak, color outside the lines, step outside the box, or whatever catchy line will help you do something different; but if you seek to do something in a way that's not in alignment with your nature, or you don't have head-and-heart alignment about it, you won't have the experience you hope to. Life really isn't just about the outcomes; it really is about how we experience the path we travel to get where we want or think we want to go.

When you feel compelled to change something about your life or business, you might look for a guru who has a formula. It works for them, doesn't it? What if you're not like them? How well will their formula fit you? Is it flexible enough so you can make it fit? If you're uncomfortable enough to want to change or shift or create something new, don't you want it to fit you well? Do you want it to be more work or more fun?

When you know what you really want and how to create it as a good fit, your version of boldness will be organic and natural for you. You won't be doing anything that is an unnatural risk; every action you take will be a piece of your tailor-made jigsaw puzzle.