There is Magic in Boldness

You know that success is all about action. It doesn't just happen. You have to make it happen. There are no consequences, no achievement, no dream fulfilled without action.

And yet, venturing into unknown territory can seem scary. You‘re not sure what you might encounter. It‘s tempting to stick with what‘s familiar and comfortable. That way, you‘re less likely to make mistakes. Maybe you believe it‘s better not to take risks when the outcome is uncertain.

But the truth is, the only way to discover what‘s possible is to try bold things. If you don‘t, you‘ll never know whether you could have done more. Staying with the tried and true may feel safe, but you risk achieving less than what you‘re really capable of.

You don‘t have to be a hero to take a risk. Ordinary people achieve extraordinary things every day. They experience concerns and fears, just as you do. But they take action anyway. And you can, too. You can have fear without being paralyzed by it. All you have to do is take the first step.

Trust your abilities and charge ahead with confidence. The first step will teach you what the next step should be.

What wise people have said about being bold...

― "Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us through them." - Brendan Francis Behan, Irish author (1923-1964)

― "Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared." - David Ben-Gurion, Israeli prime minister (1886-1973)

― "Fortune favors the bold." - Virgil, Roman poet (B.C. 70-19)

― "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter (1853-90)

― "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman playwright (B.C 4-A.D. 65)

― "What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" - Robert Schuller, American clergyman (1926- )

― "You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best you have to give." - Eleanor Roosevelt, American diplomat (1884-1962)

― "Too much caution is bad for you. By avoiding things you fear, you may let yourself in for unhappy consequences. It is usually wiser to stand up to a scary-seeming experience and walk right into it, risking the bruises as hard knocks. You are likely to find it is not as tough as you had thought. Or you may find it plenty tough, but also discover you have what it takes to handle it." - Norman Vincent Peale, American author (1898-1993)

― "Courage is doing what you‘re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you‘re scared." - Eddie Rickenbacker, American aviator (1890-1973)

― "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet (1749-1832)

Look past fear, and you'll see where the path leads.

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .