May 19, 2009
Forward to a Friend
In This Issue
Featured Article:Be Bold
Announcements
Speaking Schedule
Daddy's Little Girls
Welcome to this week’s issue of Appreciation (and Authenticity) in Action. I hope you and those around you are doing well, appreciating life, and being real!
Things continue to go very well with the release of my new book Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. I’m honored, grateful, and excited by the positive responses and opportunities that continue to show up. Thank you for your interest and support!
I’ve also been blown away by the heartfelt emails and feedback I’ve received in the past week in response to last week’s article, “Express Yourself.” It seems that what I shared when I wrote “if you really knew me…” resonated deeply with a lot of people. It felt scary and vulnerable for me to put that out there. And, it has been yet another great reminder of how powerful it is when we get real – liberating for us, personally, and also for those we share with as well.
If you’d like to re-read last week’s article and/or post a response about it (or share something vulnerable yourself), check it out on my blog. This week’s article focuses on Being Bold, which is Principle #4 (of my Five Principles of Authenticity) from Be Yourself.
Thanks for being on my e-zine list. I’m honored to be able to connect with you each week. Have a good one!
With Gratitude,
Be Bold
Do you consider yourself bold? Some of us do, but most people I know and work with, myself included, admit that they don’t often think of themselves as a bold person. Or, if we’ve done or said bold things in our lives, they seem to be few and far between…and they also seem to scare us half to death. Hence, we often don’t find ourselves being bold in life – or not nearly as much as we’d like.
Being bold, while scary and challenging for many of us, is essential if we’re going to live an authentic life. Boldness is about stepping up and stepping out onto our “edge” in life – pushing the limits of what we think is possible or appropriate. It’s about living, speaking, and acting in ways that are both courageous and true to who we really are.
Because we’re all unique, our individual versions of boldness will look quite different. Something that might be “bold” for me, may not be so for you – or vice versa. Being bold has to do with us getting in touch with our deepest truths, passions, and desires in life and then having the courage to live and act “out loud” in a way that is congruent with this.
Here are five key reminders of what it takes to be bold in life:
1) Be True to Yourself – Tell and live your truth with courage, vulnerability, and commitment. We must also remain in a constant inquiry with ourselves about who we are and what’s important to us. It’s okay and necessary in this process to admit when we’ve made a mistake, gone off course, or done something that’s out of integrity for with ourselves, as well as if we feel totally lost (which we will at times). Being true to who we are is about being ruthlessly honest and forgiving with ourselves (and with others) in a way that is both fierce and compassionate.
2) Live with Passion – Passion comes from within us, not from the external circumstances, events, activities, or people in our lives. Being bold is about going for it, not holding back, and giving ourselves fully to our work, our relationships, and our lives. To do this we must generate authentic passion, which is both a powerful emotion as well as a state of being as well.
3) Step Out – Challenge yourself to say and do things that are outside of your comfort zone and that scare you. This will force you to “step out” in your life and step in to who you really are. We often don’t think we’re “ready,” we sometimes don’t know exactly what we’re supposed to do, and we almost never have a guarantee that things will work out. So what! As Ray Bradbury famously said, “Jump, and build your wings on the way down.”
4) Lean on Others – Support, inspiration, and accountability from other people are essential along our journey of boldness and authenticity. We can’t do it all by ourselves and it’s imperative that we reach out to others who believe in us, will tell us the truth, and can help us when we get stuck. Create a “dream team” of powerful and supportive people around you who you can share your hopes, dreams, and ideas with. And, be willing to ask for and receive their support, contribution, and generosity.
5) When You Fall Down, Get Back Up – It’s important to make peace with the fact that you will fall down, probably a lot, if you’re really going for it and playing big in life. How we respond to falling down is what truly makes the difference in our lives. When we make a commitment to ourselves to get back up, dust ourselves off, be real about how we feel and what happened, and not let it stop us from being who we are and going for what we want – we tap into what true power, boldness, and authenticity are all about!
What are you willing to do in your life right now to “step out” and go for what you really want in a bold way. Share your ideas, commitments, thoughts, dreams, and more on my blog here. 
Two New Wonderful Books:
Mind Programming, by Eldon Taylor
Eldon Taylor has just released an important new book, Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics. This is really two books in one. The first half of the book is the tell-all story that uncovers the unseen influences that are so pervasive, penetrating and effective in our culture, government, and media today. The second half of the book is all about the tools and technologies you can use to cleanse your mind of the non-sense you may not have even recognized as being present before reading this liberating book. For more information about this powerful new book and to purchase copies of it today, click here.
Thank God It’s Monday, by Roxanne Emmerich
Can you imagine waking up on Monday morning and having the inspired thought "Thank God It’s Monday"? And, having everyone on you your team wake up feeling the exact same way? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone woke up feeling inspired and ready to take on the world with enthusiasm every day of the week? Bestselling Author, Roxanne Emmerich has transformed hundreds of workplaces across the country and her new book Thank God It’s Monday can help you transform yourself and your very own workplace. For more info about this book and to purchase copies, check out this link.
Where I’m Speaking:
Below is a list of where and when I’m speaking for the next few months. Many of these events are for my corporate or organizational clients (i.e. not open to the public). The ones in bold, however, are public events….most of which are book related events. I hope to see you at one of these!
For all my upcoming public events, check out http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm. If you live in any of the cities where I’ll be traveling and want to contact me about setting up a speaking engagement for your group or company, or doing a book event while I’m in town, feel free to contact me.
5/20/09 – Campbell, CA
5/29/09 – New York, NY
6/3/09 – Mountain View, CA
6/7/09 – Corte Madera, CA (GGCSL)
6/8/09 – San Francisco, CA (Commonwealth Club)
6/9/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/10/09 – Oakland, CA (OCSL)
6/16/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/17/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/25/09 – Palo Alto, CA
7/22/09 – Tempe, AZ (Changing Hands Books)
Again, for a full list of my upcoming public events, check out: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm.
“We do our best to be bold every day!”
- Samantha and Annarose Robbins
