Category Archives: Courage Is More Fun Than Fear

It’s Up To YOU!

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The Great thing about Self-Leadership?

It’s Up To YOU.

The Tough thing about Self-Leadership?

It’s Up To YOU.

To get the RESPONSE you want…

To create the IMPACT you crave…

To achieve the RESULT…

To build the BUSINESS…

To live the LIFE you’ve imagined all along…

DO ONE BOLD THING.  

OWN IT.

It’s Up To YOU!

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©1993-2012 Ann Ulrich, THE BOLD! FACTOR®   AnnUlrich.com

Photo: The metallic focus-inducing inner circle of this simple beaded coaster has been a favorite for over 20 years.

Fail or Failure?

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photo-25We all have successes.

We all have fails.

Whether your Fail becomes a Failure is up to YOU!

Did work or life dish you a bummer situation?

Next time it happens, Relax. You have a choice:

You can let it trip you up… let it rip you apart… or let it be part of your dance!

I HOPE YOU DANCE!

After the music fades away, if you find you’re still stuck, here’s a powerful response that works. Every time. (Yes, I’ve had some practice!)

Your 4.0 Response To Keep Fails From Becoming Failures:

*Ouch. Observe. Own This. Onward!*

A Fail only becomes a Failure if you choose not to move on…

It’s Up To YOU!

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©1993-2012 Ann Ulrich, Ann Ulrich Inc. THE BOLD! FACTOR®  ANNULRICH.COM

Photo:  Each Summer, these Aquatennial Fireworks are shot off the bridge over the river in front of our condo – so close we can feel it – so loud we can’t hear our own screams of WOW!! I loved capturing this intense sparkle rising from the smoke as rising from the river.

Open Heart, Open Mind

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photo-11A few years back, Seth Godin challenged me to prove him wrong related to one of my business concepts.

Hard as I tried, I could not prove him wrong.

He is Brilliant.

He’s willing to say the unsayable.

In a positive impact kind of way. And somehow his wisdom seems perfectly timed. Another thank you email headed his way today… his wisdom is always worth sharing:

With An Open Heart And An Open Mind – by Seth Godin

It might not be warranted, but you won’t get far without it.

Don’t bother going to that meeting or reading that book (and I’ll add: or re-thinking that conversation) unless you can momentarily assume the message comes from a place of goodwill and generosity.

Skepticism doesn’t help you hear.

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© 1993-2012 Ann Ulrich   THE BOLD! FACTOR®  ANNULRICH.COM

Photo:  I love capturing pictures as simple parts of a whole. This is a favorite vase.

Swing Like A Kid Again

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Next time you’re starting a new project, meeting a new client, building a new dream, blossoming a new relationship, creating a new strategy, putting a fresh new spin on a tired old program, or re-imagining a confident new YOU…

Swing Like A Kid Again!

Free yourself from old expectations you know are holding you back.

Stop caring what other people think.

Toss the instruction manual … pick the beginning, middle, or end … and simply START.

Let yourself Swing Like A Kid Again! Remember the feeling?! Push me higher! Run under my swing Daddy! Let me Soar till my feet touch the clouds!

Let’s free ourselves to Swing Like Kids Again.

Why did we ever stop?!

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© 1993-2012. Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®  ANNULRICH.COM

The Antidote To Your Rat-Race-Rush Life? Social Generosity.

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photo-7So where in this Rat Race are we all Rushing to?

And when we eventually get there… then what?!

An unintended consequence of our choice to live a Rat-Race-Rush Life (and yes, it is our choice!)

We risk misusing our personal power to get ahead of each other…

instead of helping each other get ahead.

The antidote?  Practice Social Generosity.

The beauty of practicing Social Generosity lies in its simplicity:

Do One BOLD Thing Today… To Help One Person Get Ahead.

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© 1993-2013 Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®  AnnUlrich.com

Photo:  This wire art just looked like a rat race rush(!) to me when I wrote this post. It’s a wire bowl hanging in our kitchen – where it looks much calmer ;)

Calm Courageous Confident vs. Crazed(!)

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photo-10LOVE this. From always-brilliant Seth Godin:

Often, our instinct is to make the current bump in the road far more urgent than it actually is.

It focuses our attention and rallies those around us to take immediate and deliberate action.

After all, if this is the big one, of course we should drop everything and deal with it.

Missing from this equation is the cost of dropping everything. The short-term herk and jerk that is delivered by an organization that responds to those that amplify problems into catastrophes inevitably leads to poor performance in the long run.

Employees who do this ought to be counseled to cut it out. It’s not what we hired you to do. Bosses who catastrophize are often hesitant to admit it, though, and if you work for one, it’s going to continually hurt your ability to do your best work.

And non-profits who catastrophize to meet their next funding goal inevitably sabotage the very work they set it out to do in the first place, all because it’s an easy way to raise some extra money.

from http://sethgodin.typepad.com

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© 1993-2012 Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®   ANNULRICH.COM

Photo:  Our Italian stone dining room table is more fun with this contemporary platinum-y runner. It’s at once calm, courageous, confident and yes, even a bit crazed. Perfect!

Earn The Relationship First

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photo-13Years ago, I was brought in to lead a turnaround.

My directive was to win back revenue lost amidst a volatile marketplace.

I rolled up my sleeves and focused on meeting with the right people to get an understanding what, in their minds, the real issue was.

As is often the case, the real issue was buried deep beneath the façade of perception.

My big takeaway in that career-defining project?

Winning back lost revenue is not only about revenue…

It’s about Relationships.

When you reach out to build trust – and grant trust – you begin re-building 2-way relationships…

…and from that point forward you never need to chase the money again.

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© 1993-2012 Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®   ANNULRICH.COM

Photo: Love the metallic focus-inducing center of this simple silvery coaster I’ve had for over 20 years.

It Will Always Be Easier

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photo-24When is the last time you were so passionately committed…

that you were willing to climb to the top of the hill… stand alone…

silhouetted against the sky…

knowing you were in a position to be shot down?!

It will always be easier… to care just enough to toss your two cents in as you walk away to follow the crowd.

It will always be easier… to do just enough to get by, fit in, unnoticed.

It will always be easier… to fly safely under the radar where there are no headwinds creating ripples of new success, much less churning waves of inspired innovation.

WHAT IF you stepped up, stepped out in a fresh new way that forever changed your own view of you? and in that process, expanded your view of what’s possible, what could now be accomplished…

…by this committed, capable, compassionate, confident, courageous…

CONTAGIOUS NEW YOU?!

Go ahead.  Trust yourself.  Climb to the top of that hill.

YES, the one you are most afraid of.

It could be just the place to start!

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© 1993-2012  Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®   ANNULRICH.COM

with appreciation to Dale Dauten, The Corporate Curmudgeon, for his permission to share in my work our conversation re: leadership and Dale’s powerful vision of *standing alone silhouetted against the sky in a position to be shot down*.

Photo:  Calligraphy art of a strong horse has special meaning honoring my amazing experience in Taiwan in 1990, the year of the horse.

What’s Your Happiness Trifecta?

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photo-17After a few decades leading in Business in roles from Rookie to Executive to the Runway to the Boardroom to Business Owner…

And after a few more decades ;) of exciting and challenging ages and stages of living and loving and experiencing and sharing and curiously observing Life…

I am convinced the HAPPIEST people simply:

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

There is a powerful and winning connection between articulating and achieving the happiness you’re after right now, not just delaying as your future reality… you know, till you somehow *deserve* it then (ever wonder why some people seem to achieve Happy and some it forever eludes?!)

Delaying Happiness Is Simply An Excuse.

Look at the impact you can have TODAY if you CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

The BOLD! Factor HAPPINESS TRIFECTA: Discover Yours!

1) Know what matters in your life at this age, this stage,

2) Know what you want most to achieve as your big win, and

3) Know what achieving that big win means for you, right now.

When you know, you define HAPPINESS AS SUCCESS… in YOUR OWN terms.

Here’s Mine (I’m happiest when I walk my talk!):

1) Courageous Self-Leadership (OWN THIS. IT’S UP TO ME!)

2) Everyday Greatness & Good Enough. BOTH.  (AM I PROUD OF MY IMPACT ON THIS DAY? WAS I ACCOUNTABLE TO MYSELF IN IT? NO EXCUSES?! And realizing sometimes, in some situations (not all), Good Enough trumps bringing my A-Game!)

3) Contagious Excellence (DID I SURROUND MYSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO I WANT TO CATCH WHAT THEY HAVE? AM I SPREADING GOOD CONTAGIOUS?! OR AM I SIMPLY INFECTING AND BEING INFECTED BY OTHERS?)

Happiness Is Your Choice!

How cool is that?

<SMILE>

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© 1993-2012 Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®   ANNULRICH.COM

Photo:  This big-aroma bunch of bright orange roses as a gift from David’s work party inspired adding orange in our condo – in our den and on our deck – and soon to be added to the red of The BOLD! Factor. I’ve always loved Red & Purple – now also love Orange!

BOLDest Of All

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IMG_1621When it comes to BOLD leadership,

whether you lead from the top, middle or front line…

in your family, business or life…

Your quiet inner strength

can be

BOLDest of all.

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© 1993-2012 Ann Ulrich  THE BOLD! FACTOR®   ANNULRICH.COM

Photo:  There was never a doubt in my mind as to what my logo would be when I launched my own business. Having been forever marked-down by my teachers – in probably every grade – for overly-enthusiastic overuse of the !!! in my writing, reports, art… I colored one BOLD RED in 1993… and ever since use it to my heart’s content! (!!)