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To be more precise, it’s a decision we make every moment.
There are actually two kinds of courage: instinctive and deliberate. Instinctive actions are, well, instinctive….. like rescuing a child from a burning building or helping a disabled person who’s confronted by a someone with ill-intent.
Deliberate courage, on the other hand, is an attitude or a frame of mind; it’s a way of being in the world where the intention behind our actions points in a singular direction—to our authenticity. Yes, real courage is the willingness, the intention, the ambition of being authentic; of dropping pretense, ego and arrogance in favor of truth, transparency and transformation.
Deliberate courage is transformative.
Many of us have mustered up our courage (by choice or involuntarily) during the confluence of the Pandemic, civil unrest, remote working, the election, homeschooling and the disappearance of childcare and eldercare. I’ve spoken to dozens and dozens of you over the past year. Somehow you found internal resources you didn’t know you had. You tightened up your boundaries at home and at work. You figured it out.
At times, was it hard? You bet! And you did it. Did you pay a price for your courage? You bet you did! And you sought out your courage anyway. (Big bravo!- self-acknowledgement goes a long way in the self-esteem department.)
When we give ourselves permission to fully show up, we unwittingly give others permission to do the same. I few years ago I emceed a panel of Presidents and CEO’s of half a dozen local banks. All the participants were women.
The final question I asked them was, “To what do you attribute your ability to have succeeded in a male-dominated field?” Across the board, their response was some variation of: “I made the decision to be who I am and to stop trying to be anyone else. I didn’t want to work for any company who would want me any other way.”
So when we decide to be courageous, what we’re really deciding is to be ourselves; to be authentic, and to accept and embrace the parts of ourselves that are less perfect than we’d like. (I call that Flawsomeness”) I find that to be a great relief, don’t you?
Initiate Your Impact
When was a time when you showed up authentically and the people around you were less than enthusiastic about that?
- How did you muster the courage to do that?
- When have you replicated that experience, taking the wisdom you gleaned and applying it to a new situation?
- How did that work out for you?
Now available on Kindle: Impact! What Every Woman Needs to Know to Go From Invisible to Invincible
#authenticity #courage #goals #intentions
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WomenThink™ partners with leaders of public, private, and non-profit global organizations to transform their female workforce into a high-performing LeaderForce™; attracting, developing, and retaining the best female talent as a result of creating an uncommon culture of equitable empowerment.
For more than 29 years, WomenThink’s CEO, Nancy D. Solomon, has been a force for change and the go-to women’s leadership expert in traditionally male-dominated industries such as technology, banking, and finance, worldwide.
She is a bold, courageous, and unapologetic advocate for women and has helped thousands remove the barriers to their fulfillment and success.
As a result of their work with us, our clients build and sustain a vibrant, robust force of female leaders, equipped to manage the helm, and the highest offices of corporations across the globe. Our clients include Microsoft, Target, Acura, Amazon, Nordstrom, Wellpoint, and Westin and, as well as many passionate individuals.
Schedule a meeting with us to begin the conversation of how we can accelerate your current transformation initiatives, as well as identify the future of leadership for your organization.
Known as The Impact Expert, she is the main stage speaker, expert trainer, and veteran coach who helps leaders solve key issues related to leadership development, employee engagement, and advancing women. She is the author of the acclaimed book: Impact! What Every Woman Needs to Know to Go from Invisible to Invincible and is currently working on her next book.