Face Your Dragon: Audacity
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Audacity is a word I never heard used much aside from Barack Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. I remember thinking at the time, “why is hope audacious?” I had only ever heard the word used to describe rude or disrespectful behavior — which is, in fact, one of its definitions. The other is “a willingness to take bold risks” and this is the kind of audacity I encourage from my clients. I have come to really appreciate this word.
Go deep!
Audacity is one of the themes of my program with David Kaar, “Face Your Dragon”. To move out of a ‘stuck’ place in your life and live the life of your dreams, often requires some audacity on your part. When we asked our latest cohort for the program what audaciousness meant to them, one client simply said, “Going deep, getting real, and screwing fear and the horse it rode in on.” Now that’s audacious!
Being audacious in your life can result in more than reaching your goals — it gives you confidence along the way. Your lifeforce energy keeps draining as long as you use safety and comfort as a crutch, what I call a ‘slow burn depression’. When you step into The audacity to move toward your goals, this is where you’ll find your self-worth and your brilliance to make things happen.
If the word is still sounding too aggressive to you, remember that audacity has often been viewed through a masculine lens — loud, brash, fiery, in your face, courageous, and bold. Audacity can also be vulnerable, soft, reserved, and gentle and it’s critical that we hold both interpretations if we are to direct ourselves to what gives us meaning and purpose.
Audacity is simply about fully stepping into your life with mission and agency.
My work consistently asks what’s at risk for you if you go for what you want, but the more important question is what’s at risk if you don’t go for what you want?
Big, audacious dreams,
Karin
(Stay tuned for my next post on Energy)
