Bolder!

Bold Dreams

I've been promoting a free event in May - "In Praise of Bolder Women". It's made me wonder - am I talking about living boldly while holding back part of myself?

A little voice is telling me that could be true. Here's why.

How can I get across to you that taking action on a dream is vital if I'm not sharing the impact of my own dreams? 

Part of the responsibility of having a dream is sharing it. So I realised it's time for me to share more fully with you, my readers, so that we are both richer for it. It feels like a really bold step because sharing the reality of those dreams can take me to some vulnerable places. It's easier to hide.

A few years back, when I got real about what I wanted in my life, I began expressing myself through various forms of visual art and also my writing. I discovered my creativity was an expression of my spirituality because it let me listen to my soul's language. I re-claimed dreams that had been constricted and hidden for far too long.

When I was a kid, I wanted black patent leather shoes with tiny straps but my mother bought me a pair of awful brown oxfords. You know the kind. Sturdy and ugly. (Why do mothers do these things to their kids?)

I wore them for about a week, feeling self-conscious and drab. They were stiff and uncomfortable and I hated them with all of my ten year old heart. So I did the only thing any sane kid would do.

I took them to the creek down the road and set them afloat. The last I saw of them they were headed for Waterman's Lake. For all I know they're still there today, terrorizing fishermen who have the misfortune of hooking one.

Now, you need to know that my mother was not a woman to trifle with but I don't remember what transpired when I arrived home barefoot. (Obviously I survived since I'm here to tell the tale.) The fact I don't remember tells me the important part of this story for me was about taking action on something I was passionate about.

Lately, though, it seems I've been wearing those brown oxfords again. It's time for me to take them off and enjoy the feel of the bare earth on my feet again. To re-claim and walk comfortably in my dreams. Won't you join me?

Where are you holding yourself back?

What is the limiting belief or fear that keeps you there?

What would change if you took action on your dream?

What would be possible if you fully lived your dream?

Susan Boyle, Bolder Woman

I had planned to blog on something else today but simply HAD to share this with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Talk about a Bolder Woman claiming her dream. As I watched the faces of the judges and the audience as she spoke before singing I felt anger at how she was being pre-judged. When she mentions her age they are almost rolling their eyes.

And then she opens her mouth to sing...

The shock on those same faces is priceless. My favourite moment (besides the singing itself)?  Watching Simon's eyebrows shoot up.

I've seen Les Miserables at least 4 times live. Never did the words of this song strike home so deeply as they did, watching Susan, in spite of the reactions around her, claim her precious dream. I was moved to tears.

Three things stood out for me. Susan's bold cheekiness in spite of her reception; the support in the wings who believed in her; and she didn't hold back when her moment arrived.

What's your dream?
Where can you find support for yourself?
And what do you need to do so that you don't hold back?

If you want to connect with some other amazing Bold Women, join me in May for "In Praise of Bolder Women". The aim of this FREE event is to inspire and help you get into action with your own dream.
Register online at the link above.

Don't hold back. Join me now in bringing more cheeky boldness to the world!

Claiming Your Brilliance

It's been quite awhile since I've written anything on my other blog and I've used the excuse of busy-ness. And yes, I have been busy but the real reason I've stayed away is fear. Fear of revealing myself too much. Fear of upsetting someone 'out there'. Fear of ...well..just plain old fear without any rational reason.

It's much easier to live only in our heads and float on the surface of life than it is to pay attention to deeper questions like "What do I love? What moves me? How can I share that? What's my real job here on this planet?"

We tell ourselves we're doing important work while denying our core self. Meanwhile, something inside whispers that if we are only copying what everyone else does then some vital ingredient is MIA. Then we drown out the whisper with more busyness because bringing 100% of ourselves is pretty bold stuff. 

My coach challenged me today to get back into the game. She worded it as a request but it's bigger than that because it means I have to walk my talk and do the thing that scares me - claiming my creative side. Start writing again. Pick up my paintbrushes. Bring 100% of me. Gulp.

I left corporate work to explore my creativity and coach women as they took action on their own dreams. I've been doing great with the coaching part but barely dabbling withthe exploring part. A painting here, a story there. I won a couple of awards for my writing and had a couple of pieces accepted for an art show last year and it appears I scared myself in the process because I stopped.

I know I have to take action on my coach's challenge because avoiding it keeps me from my real success. On the other blog I wrote about the ordinary, day to day things and the impact they have on my inner life. When I started that blog I envisioned opening my eyes wider and sharing what I saw with you.

So I'm picking up where I jumped ship except that, rather than keeping a separate blog I decided to get really bold! I'm incorporating the original posts into my Success for Women blog under the category "Daily Miracles". Integrating myself, you could call it. And why not? If I'm asking you to define success for yourself then it's time I modelled it here.

Success for me is to live creatively, each and every day. To bring a little something extra to life just for the joy of it.

What would success look like to you?

What could you accomplish if you didn't stop to overanalyse it?

Do you squirm inside at the Marianne Williamson quote  "We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

Do you have a pattern of shutting down your brilliance because it frightens you?

What if I challenged you today to take one step towards it, however small?

Would you?

What could that first step look like?

Would you be willing to share it here?

Traditions

Coaches often say 'Don't live in the past. It's over and done and you can't change it." I've said it myself.

But I gave that some serious thought this morning as I made the pies for our Christmas feast. I followed my mother's familiar recipes, taught to her by her mother. I cut in the shortening like she used to. Rolled out the dough using motions I learned from her. I even used pans similar to the ones I knew as a child. And last year, I taught my own daughter to make pies for her Christmas feasts.

What does this have to do with a purpose-led business? Just this - there are times when familiar traditions handed down to you provide stability and act as a touchstone in turbulent times. They create a sense of continuity. You know there are some things you can count on. Like Mom's apple pie.

So, as you repeat your own holiday traditions this year, let them be a reminder that some things don't change. The most important part of any traditions are the people who surround you. 

And aren't they the reason you strive for success in your business? 

Happy Holidays!