Why Boldness Counts

We’ve all been there. Times when we’ve found ourselves squeaking along, trying to just get by and not ruffle any feathers, or have our own feathers ruffled.

In those moments, we’re caught. We’re believing in the message sent by our voices of pain, of doubt, and fear. We’re believing the barriers, the reasons why not to be bold, and stand out.

There is a great post over at Brian Clark’s Copyblogger, where he talks about how our perceptions about hierarchy can often be the biggest hindrance to our success.

Rather than live strong, you succumb to the voices and shrink, trying to squeak by without being noticed.

But in that shrinking, into the box you go.

What box?

The box everyone’s always telling you to think out of, and get out of.

Why? Because living in the box for too long makes fungus grow in your being. Little sprouts of pessimism, hesitation, and crustiness start creeping up the walls of your box. And you spend so much time trying to nip the fungus before it grows too tall that you lose sight of a fundamental truth.

You are free.

Seriously. Free. And really, why believe otherwise?

If it was just a matter of intention, there would be no problem, right? You wouldn’t put yourself in a box any more than you’d shove a popsicle stick up your nose, right?

If only it were a matter of intention.

But unfortunately, those “fungus-fears” are pernicious little buggers. They eat away at your goals, dreams, and passions.

Because it’s not just the intentions you set, the goals you create, or the lofty aspirations you aspire to that decide what you achieve. These things are only half of the equation.

What equation?

The Freedom Equation, of course! The Freedom Equation states:

“Fungus-Fear” = Barriers

Your barriers are the Big Ugly Minus in the Freedom Equation. They weigh down your goals and undermine your intentions.

Now, “conventional wisdom” would say, “Okay, let’s attack those barriers and get rid of them. Then, we’ll be free.”

But I’m anything but conventional, as you well know. If you want the same-old, same-old problem-solving methodologies, you’re barking up the wrong fire hydrant.

Think Positively

Thinking positively isn’t about ignoring the barriers, or “blowing sunshine” around, pretending we don’t have problems.

No, thinking positively (in Monk-ish terms) means focusing on the positive side, and allowing your momentum there to take you where you want to go, while handling the negatives as they arise.

What I mean is, look at the Freedom Equation again:

Now, it’d be one thing if your equation looked like this:

Five minus four equals diddly-squat in the Freedom department. But, if you think positively, and increase your positive intentions, your equation can change rapidly.

Even if you get a natural backlash of negative thoughts and doubts from setting such positive intentions, it doesn’t matter. It’s a numbers game, after all. What if your equation looked like this:

Ten Freedoms is a whole heck of a lot better than one, don’t you think?

How This Looks In Real Life

Beefing up your intentions happens when you examine your reasons, motivations, and assumptions for why you’re doing what you do.

Ask yourself, “Why do I work? What am I trying to achieve?”

If your answers pan out to something akin to, “Make money”, or, “Pay the bills”, or, “What else should I do?”, then it’s time to rethink your intentions. Because while we all have to pay the bills, it’s hardly an inspiring proposition, and isn’t going to add more than a few points to your “intentions” score.

But, what about reasons like, “I want to transform the way people raise children”, or, “I work at making people’s homes places of replenishment and joy”, or “I want to free people from the bonds of disease, to find their vitality again, and live fantastic lives!”

Now you’re talking, sister!

Boldness counts

And counts, big. When you get out of your own way by setting bold intentions, align your thoughts around positive intentions, and stop focusing on the barriers so much, you’ll find yourself armed with something new…

Momentum. Energy. Passion.

And these will take you towards freedom much faster than trying to squeak along, minding your p’s and q’s, and focusing on nipping all the negative barriers in the bud as soon as they sprout up through the floor of your box.