How to live a BRAZEN life

4 ways to RECLAIM and REDEFINE

I love the word brazen.

adjective
1. boldly shameless
2. unrestrained by convention
3. marked by audacity

I enjoy how it makes us women of a certain age giggle as it brings to mind the phrase: brazen hussy.

I’m drawn to how it captures precisely how I plan to live the rest of my days.

For me brazen living is:

📍 Consistently putting myself first.

Shamelessly.

The awareness if I don’t tend to my needs I have nothing left to give. I set boundaries, prioritize self-care and lean on my people. The ole an empty pot cannot pour coupled with if I give you everything, I will unknowingly grow to resent you.

📍 Owning it

All the ITs.

I work h a r d to create my luck. I’m exceedingly grateful for everything I have. And yet? I don’t pretend to be small or stoppable merely because women are encouraged not to know their worth.

📍 Flying my FREAK FLAG

I wave because it’s who I authentically am. I don’t shake for shock value. In a world which can feel fixated on flawlessness, I celebrate quirks and imperfections.

I embrace and share the messy of my life.

📍 Boldly doing unto others

Serving others. Celebrating others. Shining light on others.

As we step into our second lives, now is the time to be BRAZEN. To shed outdated expectations (even our own!) and stride toward our Future Selves.

Here’s the thing though, when was the last time you heard someone referred to as brazen and it was intended as a compliment?

The B-word has long been code for disrespectful boldness when applied to humans who know what they want and aren't afraid to go get it.

It’s time to rewrite the definition free of old timey baggage, brimming with bold energy, and welcoming to all humans (there’s that community!).

From the brazenly talented to the brazenly hard-working to the brazenly kind-hearted let’s commit to:

📌 Dancing with fear

Let’s not waste precious time avoiding fear and instead run boldly, brazenly toward it. Let’s remind ourselves fear exists for a reason and, like all emotions, can be our friend. Fear is a powerful motivator, catalyst for growth and facilitates our becoming more resilient, self-confident, and disciplined (consistent!).

Let’s take calculated risks. Let’s not let fear of failure/rejection hold us back from making strategic moves or personal leaps. Let’s be brazen about seizing opportunities that excite us, even if the path isn't perfectly clear.

📌 Celebrating grit & resilience as boisterously as success

This has been a challenge for me to do for myself, yet once I created the habit it shifted how I experience my life.

I praise (my own and other people’s) tenacity.

I applaud when I and others embrace (what society refers to as) failure, step back, access and try again.

I’ve consciously chosen to cheer more loudly when my FRP are not the best than when they are.

Create a circle of passion-pursuer friends who brazenly cheer each other on—consistently.

📌 Speaking our truth

Let’s use our voices to advocate for ourselves and others.

Let’s consciously choose not to shy away from difficult conversations or expressing not-so-popular opinions. Let’s brazenly call out bias and discrimination. Let’s choose to not let problematic comments or actions slide.

Speak out against injustice and inequality and champion causes close to your heart—whether they are close to others’ or not.

📌 Mentoring and leading the way

As we step into our brazeness, let us lift up other humans, too. Let’s compliment and celebrate other people’s wins.

Let’s offer mentorship--formal or not.

Let’s strive to brazenly use our voices and influence to create more seats at that metaphorical table for other talented humans.

When we choose to live and lead with authenticity, fearlessness, confident communication, and solidarity we inspire others to show up as their true selves, celebrate their strengths, and support one another in creating a more equitable and inclusive world.

We inspire others to become agents of bold, transformative change.

When we choose a BRAZEN path we consistently resist conformity and create a community which embraces POSSIBILITY

In essence, showing up brazenly allows us to unapologetically celebrate our full, brilliant, messy humanness.

It's a rebellious (yet grounded!) way of fulfilling our fundamental need for freedom, growth and living our purpose and priorities out loud.

Are you in?