BOLD

The meek shall inherit what the bold leave behind!

I first watched the 10 Commandments on a movie theatre when I was about 10 years. As a child, what stood out most for me were the plagues unleashed by Moses to the unbelieving Pharaoh. Today the thing that stands out for me is the departure of the slaves in Egypt which was done without opposition. I want to believe that lack of opposition was more because the focus of the oppressors was on the method of departure rather than the departure itself.

There was no “good way” for the slaves to leave Egypt. The slaves were too numerous to leave by stealth. Yet they were too weak to leave by war. Indeed any course chosen would likely have raised the fury of the slaves’ masters or that of the Pharaoh and the army. So they left boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians without shame or apology or care of attack. And in so doing, stunned the Egyptians.

The boldness was their plan. Bold their weapon. Bold their victory!

We know from history that Moses was definitely not confident and neither was Aaron. The slaves were also not confident having been slaves for generations. Yet God had commanded Moses to take his people out of Egypt.

Therefore, they left boldly. One can only imagine the shock of the Egyptians wondering where the Israelites had gotten their confidence from. Some may have thought of how powerful the God of the Isrealites was, others may have thought a hundred and one reasons for this bold action. It does not matter what they thought, what mattered was their fear of challenging such an action.

Most people dare not challenge a bold thought, a bold plan or a bold execution of an idea.

But what is boldness?

It is not arrogance, nor is it confidence. It is the projection of confidence. It is the ability to persuade others that you are confident in the act you are taking, regardless of whether you are or not.

If you are bold, and those around you perceive you to be bold, they will usually provide their own rationale for the basis of your confidence. And this is good because any justification they come up with is usually styled to satisfy them.

Boldness in thought and action gives one leeway to do as they wish without interference or obstruction.

Can you be bold if you yourself are not confident?

You MUST be bold if you yourself are not confident. After all, if you feel compelled to undertake action even though you are lacking in confidence in that action, lacking in confidence in yourself, or lacking in confidence in your ability to carry out that action, then you must be embarking upon that action because you have little choice but to embark upon that action. And in that case, boldness is the only weapon that can boost your chances for success.

How Bold works

The commitment to bold action is like that of a swimmer on the edge of a cliff. He can dive in headfirst in spite of the cold and get on with it or choose to walk round and walk towards the water starting with his toes, foot and torso. That may be prudent action. In fact, it may even be a more convenient action. Moreover, it too will get the swimmer into the water just as the irreversible dive did, but it will not provide the swimmer with the bold entry required.

Embarking upon the bold carries its own hazards. Bold has very few “getting-off“spots.

That swimmer cannot turn back midair should he see a shark below him awaiting his entry.

He must be prepared before his jump to handle and address every contingency because having chosen the bold course of action, he must continue.

A retreat from bold action is worse than never having taken action at all.

It is a sign of weakness, confusion and desperation. It is the scent of blood to the waiting sharks.

Bold action knows no compromise. There is no nor can there be, semi bold action. There can be no successful retreat from boldness.

So remember that when you go in as a Lion, you must act as a Lion and leave like a Lion, to be a Lamb is to become lamb chops.

Next week we will look at the positives and negatives of Bold especially in an office situation.