Be yourself. And be it boldly.

As the saying goes, if you don’t believe in yourself, others won’t either.

When was the last time you were boldly yourself? How did you experience that?

I used to be scared to be myself. What if others didn’t like me? What if I didn’t meet expectations? What if …

Turns out, often when I tried to meet expectations, I felt hugely uncomfortable. Like when I was recommended to wear makeup so that I “looked the position I wanted”. So I tried. And ended up hiding whenever I could. It just wasn’t me.

Conversely, when I turned up the way I wanted, people noticed my ‘presence’ and ‘confidence’.

I didn’t ‘meet expectations’ by taking 10 weeks of unpaid leave to walk the Australian Alps Walking Track unassisted. 850 km in 51 days through the Australian wilderness - no townships, no hot showers, just rugged wilderness, a backpack and a tent. And yet, I felt comfortable every day. And bold. And confident. I was myself.

It is when we embrace our uniqueness and our individuality, that we can fully tap into our strengths. When we allow ourselves to be ourselves, we don’t expend energy into being someone else; all of our energy can go into being ourselves. And when we can be fully ourselves, we can be there for others.

• Bold is quiet.

• Bold is loud.

• Bold is being strong.

• Bold is being vulnerable.

• Bold is beautiful.

• Bold is being yourself.