All right, welcome back to the show, and today we're gonna rock out of Robert Green's book 48 Laws of Power, specifically Law Number 28, Enter Action with Boldness. And this topic is on the spirit of boldness. Boldness is a practice. Who in the hell doesn't wish they were more bolder? Nobody wishes they were more timid. Everybody, you and me, we wanna be bolder. And people admire boldness. They respect it, and they're drawn to it. They're drawn to those who embody it. But here's the truth.
Boldness is a skill, it's a practice. And if it's something that you can practice. That means that you can develop it. And today, with the help of Robert Greene I'm gonna help you develop the skill, the practice of being bold. First off is you weren't born timid. Let's get that set straight. You were born bold, but over time, life, society. And your own desire to fit in, conditioned you to play small.
You learned to avoid conflict, to kind of go along with the crowd, to go with the status quo, to not rock the boat, and you shrink yourself in order to make others feel more comfortable. But here's what's key. If timidity is learned. Then boldness can be relearned. Timidity is an illusion. It's a habit just like boldness is the consequences of timidity are far worse than the consequences of boldness. Timidity shrinks you. It keeps you small. And passive.
It makes you forgettable, it makes you weak. You're always having to wait for permission. Timidity keeps you outta rooms that you should be in, but on the other hand, boldness expands for you. You're in the expansion business. It puts you in bigger rooms. It creates more opportunities. It builds confidence. So when you hear those two things, why in the hell would you not want to be bold? Are you settling into timidity and not even know it?
And this is what this episode is about, is bringing this to your awareness. And once you're aware, now it's time to be bold again. You gotta practice being bold. Robert Greene says, when you are small and obscure like David, then you gotta find your Goliath to attack. See, if you don't have a Goliath, you're not chasing something big, then bro, you're just existing. You're just getting through a day, a month, a quarter, just trying to pay some bills. And you're coasting in life.
But the problem is you can only coast in one direction. If you need some help with that, it's down. So let me ask you this. What's your Goliath? Are you trying to build something? Are you trying to break outta your current situation? Are you going after something that forces you to stretch? Most people think bold thoughts, but they never act on them. They admire boldness, but they don't practice it. That's the difference between those who succeed and those who don't.
So pick your Goliath, make it big, then run at that bitch. One of the biggest reasons people hold back is because they're worried about what others think. Robert Greene says, we may disguise our timidity as concern for others, a desire not to hurt or offend them, but in reality, it's the opposite. We're just self-absorbed. Worried about how others perceive us. Bro, think about that. Think about the reason why you're not bold.
Most of the time, you hesitate, you hold back, and it's not because you're being considerate, it's because you're worried about how you look to others. It's your perception. But here's the truth. Hear me. Well underline this, put this on a Post-It note on your mirror and on your dash in your car. Most people would rather see you settle than see you succeed. They will help you stay average, but won't support you when you try to grow. They don't actually care about what you do.
They care about how it makes them feel in their own life. See you breaking out of the herd. You doing something above and beyond you're going after your Goliath. You become a mirror, they don't hate you for who you are. They hate you for what they're not. So stop trying to explain yourself. Stop worrying about the approval. Nobody's got your best interest in mind, but you, nobody's gonna help you achieve your goals and dreams, but you be bold. Take action and just let your results speak.
A key point from the 48 laws of power is that boldness is not about being obnoxious. It's not about being reckless boldness. It's about control in your own life. What I want you to do is think of boldness as a dial. It's not an on off switch, and there are times that you need to dial it up when you need to take a stand, when you need to be in a position to negotiate powerfully or make a big move. And there are other times where you gotta dial it down, but you're still practicing boldness.
You dial it down when patience and strategy and observation. Are required, and this is where most people get it wrong. I can't stress this enough. A lot of times people think that boldness is being obnoxious. It's not. It's planning, it's strategizing, and it's using boldness in varying degrees. Even in negotiation, we're all negotiating in life. I happen to be in sales, so I go to work every day to negotiate, but you're in life and you are working every day to negotiate.
And when you think about negotiation, starting bold is better than making small concessions. People, respect those who own their worth. You, get what you ask for. And if you don't ask for anything, you're gonna get the leftovers. You're gonna get the scraps, set your price high, and then set it even higher. Boldness is a skill. It's a practice that you can start right now and you train every day being bold through small, consistent acts. Ask for what you actually want.
I. Instead of what you think you can get, step in the rooms that make you uncomfortable. Take the shot before you feel fully ready. Stop waiting for approval. Boldness is a practice and the more you use it, the more neutral it becomes. It's just part of you. Remember this. The biggest regrets in life don't come from boldness. They come from timidity. So which one are you choosing today? Timidity leads to regrets. Boldness leads to opportunity. You weren't born timid.
So stop living timid time to be bold. Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough. Peace.