8 Ways to Be a Little More Badass

8-ways-be-little-more-badass-455368-unsplash.jpg

Highlights

  • A fast-paced and funny Badass read (1:10)

  • Stepping off the ledge (2:05)

  • My 8 ways to be a little more badass (4:15)

  • Your turn… (9:45)

8 WAYS TO BE A LITTLE MORE BADASS

I’ve been listening to a business manifestation book by Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth.

I usually steer clear of these kinds of books for a couple of reasons. First, the title feels a bit slimy and like a scam. Also, the author’s boldness in discussing making money in such a glib way was an immediate block for me. My parents raised me to be humble about money. And making money is supposed to be really serious, hard work, right? But the book was recommended by two people I respect, so I had to give it a try.

A FAST-PACED AND FUNNY BADASS READ

Jen Sincero narrates her audiobook, and it is both fast-paced and funny, and her jokes are in the flavor of the smart, dry wit of the US Eastern seaboard that I know well – even though she was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Go figure, huh? But, I digress :-)

At the same time I’m listening to her words of wisdom, another event is unfolding halfway around the world and captivating the globe: the rescue of a group of boys in a cave in Thailand. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. As I write this, only eight of the boys have been miraculously saved.

So what do Jen Sincero’s Badass book, the Thai cave rescue, and where I am right now with my business all have in common? Well, here it is…

STEPPING OFF THE LEDGE

I’ve decided that my business is going to grow and spread in ways that my thinking mind can’t comprehend or even imagine. Why?

Because I keep seeing and hearing about how Navigating Challenging Dialogue® is changing lives and workplaces, and, frankly, sometimes the idea of this level of growth scares the heck outta me and makes me want to recede back onto my little ledge of safety.

But as I’m listening to Jen’s personal experiences in overcoming her fears and shifting her reality, I’m also checking the news to see how these boys and their coach are doing. They’re facing a leap of faith that has about 5,000 times the gravity of my current situation, but the lessons that I’m gleaning from their bravery and heart and badassedness are huge for me.

I mean let’s face it, what I’m pushing myself through is nothing compared to how they have to willingly slip off a ledge and proceed into the darkness of their treacherous journey, how they are going to trust people they’ve never met to lead them through something that, for most of us, is unimaginable.

As my partner – who survived a brain tumor – says to me all the time, “It’s about faith and surrender.” It is an amazing tribute to their fortitude, their trust, their faith, and their desire to be free.

And these are the exact same things Jen Sincero talks about in her book.

MY 8 WAYS TO BE A LITTLE MORE BADASS

With that story unfolding while Jen is telling me about how the words we use, the energy we put out, and the beliefs we have inform what is possible for us, my brain started making connections. I began seeing connections not only to myself but also to all aspects of my business, as well as the blocks that so many of my clients face.

Here are 8 lessons I took away and am putting into practice for myself:

  1. Don’t stop just because you don’t know.
    With each moment that I live, the next moment is an unknown. With every experience, every journey, and every choice, I have no ability to know the outcome – but that’s no reason to stop. In fact, the not-knowing is all the more reason to approach every decision we make with gusto – or as Jen says, like a badass.

  2. Make a decision, then make it work.
    Sometimes, the next move takes every ounce of heart and faith that we have, be it stepping off the safety of a ledge into murky water or choosing to take a risk with a new idea. So it’s vital to make a decision and then make it work. Staying comfortable may feel better for now, but it isn’t necessarily going to get me where I want to go next.

  3. What you want isn’t always going to be what you get.
    At the end of a long and nearly impossible slog, I want what I came to get, whether that’s fried chicken, to go home, or to spread the mission of Navigating Challenging Dialogue worldwide. The secret is to envision what I want and move towards it but to accept that the journey may result in something different or even more amazing than what my thinking mind originally conjured up.

  4. Trust the help that shows up.
    When I’m struggling, and help appears, sometimes I feel resistant or disappointed because it doesn’t look like what I imagined. Being a badass sometimes requires receiving help and trusting it – just as it is.

  5. Pick the positive.
    Whether I put positive thoughts or negative thoughts into a situation is my choice, and as I get to make that choice, from now on, I’m going to pick the positive. Think about it: Picking positive makes so much more sense, and it takes about the same amount of energy.

  6. Stop painting the future with doom and gloom.
    What if the media experts, instead of projecting negative outcomes on these boys, actually built upon how strong each one of them just found out they are? What if we acknowledge how powerful they are and how their perseverance and bravery are an example for all of mankind for generations to come? Imagine what kinds of difference that could make in the world. So, let’s stop painting their future with doom and gloom as a result of this experience… and while we’re at it, let’s stop doing the same to ourselves.

  7. Live without finding blame or harboring anger.
    During this rescue, the boys’ parents didn’t evoke blame or anger. Instead, they sent in a letter to the coach that said, “We want you to know that no parents are angry with you at all, so don’t worry about that.” Imagine if we can communicate that to others. I want my communications to be like that, so I will continue to believe in, teach, and model not finding blame or living in anger.

  8. Prioritize taking good care of yourself.
    I will prioritize time for myself – time to walk, to be present, to notice nature, to swim, to play, and to take care of myself in a healthy way, instead of constantly working, trying to get stuff done. In fact, no matter what journey you’re on, a cared-for physical body, spiritual essence, and mental state are going to be your best friends; they won’t take anything away from getting things done.

YOUR TURN…

So, what are these boys teaching you? What ledge are you ready to swim off?

And how – through your actions, through your shifts in energy and perception – can you honor yourself, honor the boys, and be just a little more badass?

- Beth

Self-AwarenessBeth Wonsonself-management, perspective, trust