“You are going to have to be brave”….her words rang out over and over for me as I heard Julie Cross speak the other night at The Professional Speakers Association dinner event. She was right on the money with that statement and everything else she said during her inspirational speech considering business bravery.
As a creative and an empath…
As a former Psychologist who highly values listening…
As an Alchemist personality archetype, I am naturally obsessed with transformation and witnessing a human move from one state of being to another…
As I am all of these things and more…
Bravery has come in all shapes and sizes in my life…
Bravery to be creative and to be vulnerable…
Bravery to listen and not fill the space unnecessarily…
Bravery to stand in the resistance with a client and usher them through to the other side where there is change and freedom…
AND there is even more bravery yet to come for myself and my clients…
Bravery to step out of the shadows and claim what sets us apart…
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
~ Brene Brown
There are two parts to this statement:
- The CHOICE to show up regardless of the circumstances or how you are feeling, and
- The CHOICE to be visible and vulnerable.
Ultimately, bravery and courage are a choice. We choose to show up and be vulnerable. On the other hand, we may choose not to. Either way, bravery doesn’t just happen. We aren’t born with it, in the literal sense. However, in saying that, children are a lot more at ease with bravery and acting without resistance, as opposed to adults.
Maya Angelou said “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
Depending on your natural instincts for embracing potential in your life, whether you are an introvert or extrovert, and your ability to embrace a growth mindset – all of this will impact how natural it is to make a choice for bravery in your life. You have to be clear about your natural abilities and your personal self-concept so that you can work within your strengths.
So what does bravery have to do with personal branding and transformation? What is Business Bravery?
Well, a transformation is all about change. Specifically, change in one’s self, behaviour, choices or simply how you are seen by others. Change requires a choice to step into transformation, and that choice often demands business bravery. Likewise, it’s not easy to change oneself or another’s perception of us. In addition to that, it challenges you to truly BACK yourself in ways that you haven’t done before. It can be uncomfortable and messy. Bravery in personal branding and personal growth often requires stepping out from the crowd and demonstrating your value boldly.
Julie Cross said the other night “In the pursuit of fitting in with the right crowd, you lose the unique you”.
I have spent the first 30-something years of my life trying to fit in. Furthermore, for the last 12+ years, I have been on a mission to NOT fit in any way that I can, but it’s a hard habit to crack! It requires bravery every single day to show up and be visible. I’ve been in the depths of comparison and safe choices and hiding…..I know it well…..that’s why I can see it so crystal clear in others. Moreover, I know how to shake them out of it and into a space of ownership and personal power.
I’ve already started choosing bravery over hiding in my business and life, and stepping up in my own way! However, it’s time for me to step up even further!
Who’s with me?!?
Stepping up can be your own version of your business, your work or your personal life. Are you ready to be brave?
I DARE you to find bravery in your actions today, in ways that you wouldn’t normally choose!
