How to Be Bold In Life
To fulfill our visions, we need to be bold. We need to be able to let go of our fears. Boldness is the magic brew that spurs us on to venture beyond known territories, undertake new adventures, and make bigger dreams. A healthy dose of boldness is required if we want our lives to change. It is the kickstart to living a life of being free from fear.
(A Scrapbook Page that I made, reminding me about being bold.)
I cannot claim to be completely fearless. In fact, on several occasions, I had quivered in nervousness, shook on my knees and spent sleepless nights due to anxiety. But over and over again, I had plucked up courage; ready to take on new adventures.
So what has helped me to be bold during such times? What tips can I share with you?
7 Ways to Be Bold
1. Choose To Embody Aliveness.
The thing with me is that I love challenges. So even while I feel the fear, I go ahead anyway. The dread of not being alive outweighs the frustration of being stuck in a numbing comfort zone. Hence, I put myself on all kinds of adventures and hmmm…sometimes recklessly too.
I remember the time when I sailed single handled in the open sea, despite having insufficient practice in reading wind directions. I sailed from the shore, without knowing how to turn my boat back. Eventually, it capsized.
It would have been nice to end the adventure with a flourish such as being rescued with a dashing hero. Except that I was saved by a grumpy friend who was unhappy that I took a risk. Yes, I admit that it was reckless on my part. Then again, I was answering to the call of boldness.
I am not suggesting that you get careless and take unsound risks. On the contrary, I’m inviting you to make a choice. Decide on how you would like to live.
The questions you need to ask yourself are: What happens if you don’t start a new adventure, undertake an exciting project or choose to live differently? How would you feel 10, 20 or 30 years down the road? But what happens if you do?
Make the choice to be bold, if you don’t want to live a life of regrets.
2. Let Go of Wanting Perfection.
Many of us want to look perfect. We have got important self images to protect. We would like to have the perfect plan before we proceed on an adventure. We like to do long calculations, detailed strategising, weigh our pros and cons endlessly, and make massive backup/recovery plans. We want to know that our plans won’t fail us. And then we won’t also look like failures.
Well, avoid wanting things to be 100% perfect. It’s your ego that is wanting you to look successful, complete and secure. Instead, put yourself out there. Be bold. Brace yourself for more exciting and wonderful things to happen!
3. Work on Your Beliefs.
You are probably fearful because you believe that you can’t. However, if you believe that you can’t, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
But what if you believe the opposite? What if you program yourself to take on new beliefs? Since beliefs are made from thoughts, it is possible to change your thoughts to make new beliefs.
4. Do Something Differently for a Change.
Do something that you don’t usually do. Go beyond your comfort zone. For instance, wear something flaming red instead of your usual somber black. Or ask someone out for a change, instead of waiting endlessly for the phone to ring.
5. Try A Sporting Activity That Requires Guts.
Some sports or activities require you to first have courage. You will invariably feel inspired when you are able to do them.
Let me share my story. When I was growing up, I was afraid of being in water. Reason being that I am not a good swimmer. However, in my early adult years, I decided that I did not wish to live with the fear any longer.
And so, I took up a bunch of sea sports in succession: sailing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, wind surfing and diving. I realised that once I got the adrenalin going, things got easier and easier.
Having such experiences can offer positive anchoring states. When you do visualisations for future situations, recall these past experiences to help you shift into confidence and courage.
6. Read Stories of Heroes or Heroines.
Get inspired by the stories of heroes or heroines. All of them have displayed some form of courage. Have pictures of these people on our vision boards. They are our role models. They are our defining images. They are our beacons of hope.
7. Be Inspired by a Higher Vision.
When you feel drawn to a higher calling, you would naturally find yourself wanting to be bold. Indeed, boldness was chosen as a desired energy to align with by a few of the participants during my recent Vision Board Mastery Workshop.
When you weave passion into the higher vision of bringing meaning into the lives of others, you revive a power that you have not previously accessed. As in the hero archetype, you find yourself being able to command the wind, quell a storm, deliver an air-bending move and destroy a terrifying enemy. Gold is the meaning through which you shine with purpose.
— Abundance Alchemy: Journey of Gold
Boldness for the Heroine
As a woman, I’d like to honour the boldness of the feminine divine. Allow me to share about the Archetype of the Heroine who has the energetic qualities of courage, feminine power and self awareness…
The heroine has an inner journey to take, in addition to the outer one. The inner journey of the heroine follows her courageous path of going perilously towards her center, of experiencing death before the rebirth, and that takes her from limitation to freedom.
The questions that she asks are universal, including: “What happens when I die?” “How can I be happy” and the more elusive “Who am I?” At the very core, the journey is about the paradoxical discovery that she is the mystery that she seeks to know. The metaphoric journey ultimately culminates in the resurrection of the self and reawakening of her spirit.
— Excerpt from Abundance Alchemy: Journey of Gold
Share Your Story of Boldness
Do share your story or tips on being bold. Help to inspire others with what happened.
Living Boldly, Authentically and Abundantly,
P.S. Enjoyed this article? Do share it on your favourite social media platform. Thanks in advance 🙂
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Evelyn Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
More power to you, Angela 🙂
Love always,
Evelyn
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