{Editor’s Note: Adult Language Ahead}

My life has been based completely around fear for oh-so-long, and I’ve had enough.

Terror (anxiety, depression, alcoholism, whatever you want to call it) has dictated for years what I will and won’t do, say, attempt, even dream of. It’s called the shots for relationships, jobs, social interactions (as in don’t have them, stay home and hide) and in taking on new adventures.

Recently, I set a new mantra, an intention for myself, to be bold—and I’ve set wholeheartedly about manifesting the sh*t out of that into my life.

Being bold can begin with tiny steps—and end with us crossing giant chasms.

It doesn’t mean jumping out of a plane (but it could!) or embarking on an around the world tour. Some days being bold can mean a simple commitment to get out of bed and be the best you can be that day. In fact, that’s how “being bold” has manifested for me, lately.

Stepping up to the plate means being my own personal advocate. It means speaking up or taking appropriate action when I am being mistreated, taken advantage of, or ignored. It also means being my own personal checkstop—do I need to rethink something before I react? Am I behaving appropriately in regard to the situation at hand?

Being bold is all this, and so much more.

Today, being bold is as simple as extending smiles to strangers when I feel like looking away.

It’s a simple as looking at my to-do list and just tackling the next right thing. The next solid step. 

It’s giving myself credit when I deserve it, and being brave enough to question my actions if they’ve been wrong. It’s making changes or amends where needed.

Being bold is sitting quietly with my heart and seeing where this changing life is taking me next. What am I looking for? What part of me feels unfulfilled? What can I do to change that?

Lately, bravery for me has meant speaking out when I hear something that I know isn’t right. Racist, sexist, homophobic words are not acceptable. The language that we use has power. Instead of turning away in fear of what others might think of me when I hear words that demean others, I use my voice to say “that’s not okay.”

Being bold means not just thinking about the the right action to take (putting pen to paper for the person I owe a note to, calling my grandma, dropping everything to eat dinner as a family), but actually making it happen. It’s not always possible, and it’s certainly not always easy, but it is doable more often than not.

Most of all, I’m being honest with myself, taking stock and moving forward. The small steps are lovely, and the big ones don’t seem so unconquerable.

A Tweet via American author Elizabeth Gilbert rings true for me while I travel on this intrepid path:

“I’ve never seen any life transformation that didn’t begin with the person in question finally getting tired of their own bulls****.”

So what is your next bold move?

~

Relephant Read:

The Uncomfortable Beauty in Daring Greatly. 

~

Author: Keeley Milne

Editor: Alli Sarazen

Photo: Author’s Own