Ways to be Bold
Nancy Hechinger, my co-founder of the Womens Entrepreneur Festival wrote this and also talked about these points and others to kick off our festival. I really love this so I thought I'd share. This is a little bit slanted towards women as the Womens Entrepreneur Festival attendees were 99.9% women but there are tidbits for all.
BE BOLD
(def).bold: daring, intrepid, brave, courageous, valiant, valorous,
fearless, dauntless, audacious, daredevil; adventurous, heroic,
plucky, spirited, confident, assured; gutsy, spunky, feisty; striking,
vivid, bright, strong, eye-catching, prominent, impactful…
impudent, insolent, impertinent, brazen, brash, disrespectful,
presumptuous, forward; cheeky, fresh…
There are many ways to be bold–add your own.
Leave a good paying job when your passion takes you
elsewhere
Start a company
Speak up in a meeting—when everyone but you agrees on
something
Start a family
Or decide not to
Hire your first employee
Fire someone
Write a partnership agreement
End a partnership
End a marriage
Hire people better than you
Know how to delegate–
Know when not to
Leave work…when men and women with no family stay late
Don’t take a great job because it would not leave enough time
for family
Break up with a guy/gal
Know when your business needs a leader other than you
Ask for a raise
Admit you are wrong
Face a disease
Follow your own passion, not your parents’
Go on a business trip, leaving kids at home. (without cooking all
the meals for the time you are away)
Question a doctor.
See another one
Major change in hairstyle/color
Learn what you need to know for your career—when it involves
stuff you’re bad at (e.g. numbers, budgets)
Be disruptive
Start over…in any part of your life
End a friendship
Stand by your values and convictions day by day
Let your kids fail (a little)
Trust your gut, even when the facts say otherwise
Don’t try to please everyone, all the time
Make time for exercise
Pamper yourself when there are so many other demands
Say ‘No’ to demands that drag but do not enrich your life and/or
career
Hoard your time as a non-renewable resource
Raise money.
Introduce yourself to someone you admire and talk to them
Make a cold call
Handle an emergency situation, rationally; fall apart later
Make an untried recipe for a big dinner party
Stop wearing high heels
Navigate the intricate politics of a large, complex, traditional,
often, hidebound institutions
Put your creative self…art (getting on stage, showing your
paintings, a book) out in public.
Tell someone in business or friendship something they don’t
want to hear
Tell a parent they can’t drive anymore, or pay their own bills.
Taking over.
Sign a lease for your business–with more space than you need
today, thinking about tomorrow
Take out a mortgage in your own name for the first time
Get into a male-dominated profession
Put your life on the line for something you believe in
Speak in Public
Define success on your own terms
Toot your own horn when you can..
When you can’t toot the horn of another woman!
Comments (Archived):
I remember that message from her talk last week, and I liked it a lot. It resonated with me, and I thought it was motivational and focused.
Love, love, love this! It is also about just being alive and adding value. As always, thanks.Ella
Sharing this with my groups here – loved the list and what it inspired me to add to it.
Being bold often times puts you in “love you or hate you” territory. I’m planning on blogging more and trying to increase my profile, so right now I’m giving a lot of thought about how bold I want to be with the rhetoric I put out, especially when related to my company. Getting noticed is great, but you also have to be conscious of the brand you’re building.
it all connects.
Love this! Thanks!!!
Love and plan to reference as a reminder!
What is so great about Nancy’s points is that they are applicable to everyone so they become personal and more realistic. I, like many others, will reference this list time and time again.
My father simple said–‘Make a difference’.To do that you do what it takes, may of the pieces above.
i like that. my parents, who were not exactly long on advice said just be the best at what ever you choose to do.
Older I get the more I realize what a good man my dad was.Hardships aside after years of night school to become a physicist he decided to go back to his neighborhood in Paterson teach school and give back.
the thing about our parents, alive or dead, our relationship with them continues forever.
Ain’t that the truth.Bday this week I am now one year older then my dad when he passed 28 years ago and still with me.Equally as amazing as the true fact that from the moment our kids are born they become the most interesting people there are to us (From Lost in Translation).
This is amazing – thank you for reminding your community just how bold we are and just how often. It’s so easy to overlook instead of taking stock and strength from our boldness!
I love the list. Someone should make a poster, or a short video. A great pick me reminder.I’d like to add one thing – create a climate where being bold is vital and valued. Being bold is not just about individuals, it’s about groups and forming connections which foster more to be bold.
Nice addition