December 20, 2014
Another Year Older, A Little Bit Bolder
With the holidays quickly approaching there’s bound to be a laundry list of events and responsibilities you’re tackling. End of the year charity events, family gatherings, holiday work or school parties, and of course New Year celebrations! We’re scrambling around trying to finish our gift lists, planning for travel, and no new year arrives without reflections on the past and how we might all make resolutions to better ourselves and make our lives easier. So I’m going to propose a little end of the year challenge that might “kill two birds with one stone” so to speak. One of my resolutions is to be bolder and I invite you to take up this resolution with me by practicing over the holidays. Hopefully it will not only make the holidays a little less stressful but also help gear you up to fulfill your own resolutions. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines bold as “showing a fearless, daring spirit.” It may sound vague but that’s because boldness can manifest in a multitude of ways depending on your personality and life circumstances. We all have personal comfort levels too. For some being bold may involve finally asking for that raise while for others it may be wearing that bright red lipstick out of the house. Boldness might come about when you’re asking for help when you’d previously be too ashamed or shy or it might mean finally putting your foot down and making the kids wash the dishes. Being bold definitely isn’t something that comes to most people easily and that’s also why I’m going to practice it now before the New Year so I have some experience.
I KNOW THIS TASK WILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME AND I KNOW IT WON’T BE EASY
One of the reasons New Year’s resolutions don’t often succeed is because many people make a huge change all at once rather than easing into the changes and making them into habits. That’s why my resolution is to be bolder rather than be bold. I can’t just flip a switch and suddenly have my anxieties melt away. I can’t just become a bold person overnight and frankly I don’t know if I’d want to (everything in moderation). I see my resolution as a series of small changes I’ll make over time that hopefully will allow me to do the things I’ve always wanted to but had previously been too nervous to try. I know this task will be uncomfortable for me and I know it won’t be easy but I’m determined to live the life I want for myself and I can only do that if I practice being bolder. So curvy ladies, I’m asking you to try this with me. Let’s practice being bolder together. As we count down to the New Year find some ways to be a little bolder and then savor how great it feels when you went out of your comfort zone and succeeded. Then, when January 1, 2015 comes around, do at least one of those things you were always too worried to try. Signing up for new experiences like ceramics classes or racquetball lessons all entail what it means to be bolder. Perhaps volunteering to lead a committee or group has been on your to-do list for ages but you’ve never acted on it yet. Just give it a try! Maybe you feel anxious about wearing heels or getting a trendy haircut you think you’d love. Take the plunge, be bold, and see what happens.