Girl Be Brave. Cheryl Hale
day 14
EXCELLENCE
There is power in living a life of excellence. Not under the pressure of perfection but in the pursuit of excellence. “Doing your best” seems to be a dying concept these days. The truth is, as adults, we know not everyone gets a trophy, and excellence is required to succeed.
Whatever your goal or dream, it requires that you do your very best to achieve it. Dream chasing is not for the halfhearted. It requires epic proportions of diligence and tenacity. You must bring your best self to the table.
Pursuing excellence simply means you are working hard at doing your best. I’m not advocating killing yourself for your job or dream. Long-term exhaustion isn’t productive. I do believe that the earth and the people in it respond positively to those folks who are sincerely doing their best.
I firmly believe that being your truest, most authentic self is a high and moral calling, but unearthing that higher self requires intention and work.
Pursue excellence in your self-care, your relationships, and your work. When you’re genuinely trying to do your best, you’re expanding what your best can be. It grows with you.
day 15
RISK
Be daring, be brave. Rise above the chatter, and live your life with purpose and passion. Go beyond what most would consider normal. Pursue the extraordinary.
Give yourself permission to chase your dreams in a daring way. Be audacious. There is always risk in growth. No one has ever accomplished anything great by playing it safe.
Risk taking is not your enemy, but living your life in the safety zone is. The worst that can happen is your risk not working out. Second worst thing: other people will see it. Neither of these will kill you. I’m living proof.
You may take one hundred risks with ninety-nine failures, but that’s not a good enough reason not to live a daring life. There’s too much at stake. Your purpose and your impact on others’ lives are worth the risk.
So now that you know you won’t die from failure, go ahead and pursue your dreams with tenacity.
WHO YOU
ARE ON THE
inside
IS WHAT
femininity
IS TRULY ABOUT.
day 16
YOUR OWN KIND OF
feminine
LADIES, I’M AFRAID WE’VE BEEN HIJACKED.
The sheer volume of “beauty standards” these days is enough to make one’s head spin. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good beauty product, but there’s more to beauty than what we are being fed by the media.
Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with digitally enhanced versions of what it means to be a woman. Femininity has come to mean a certain ideal set by companies selling their product line. The products stoke our insecurities, then offer their help. What, your thighs don’t look like this model’s on the cover of the magazine? We’ve got a cream for that. That’ll be $200, please.
I’m here to tell you that you get to be the creator of your own femininity. Want blue hair? Go for it. Want to wear all black for the rest of your life? I’m for you.
Who you are on the inside is what femininity is truly about—not your weight, your clothes, or your hair. You ARE feminine, and you have the chance to express it in whatever way you want.
That digitized image cannot compete with the uniquely feminine you. Not even close.
WORDS TO BE BRAVE BY
day 17
Other people’s opinions
ARE IRRELEVANT
to your purpose.
Stay the course.
day 18
DESIGN YOUR LIFE
for purpose
You’re capable of creating the life you truly want, a life where you can’t wait to get up in the morning just so you can keep taking it all in. Are you unhappy in some area of your life? Then jump in and redesign it. Put yourself on the path of your purpose. Take charge and take action.
Envision what it is you want your life to be like. Keep that vision close to you, and think on it daily. Imagine it. Don’t hold back. I give you permission to daydream. You need to be able to see it.
Then get inspired. Do what creates joy, what inspires you. You want to feel it. We often neglect doing what makes us feel good. When you feel inspired, you’re motivated to make decisions that create a more passionate, purposeful life.
Decide to become an active participant in the process of living life by your own design. If you don’t, the world will fill your life with what it considers important. Be the boss. DON’T LET ANYONE ELSE DESIGN YOUR LIFE FOR YOU.
YOU WERE CREATED TO MANIFEST THE EXTRAORDINARY.
day 19
UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL
Your potential is what you are capable of; it’s what you have the power to become.
Every person is born with the potential to excel and propel humanity in a positive direction. The key is learning to let go of the negativity of your past and dedicate yourself to your future. Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed.
Commit to a plan, and take as much action as you possibly can. When you think you’ve done all you can, try to do a little more.
Potential has the tendency to surface in the form of talent. Mix that talent with determination and hard work, and you have the making of an exceptional life. You were created to manifest the extraordinary. As you unlock your potential, you can also help others do the same.
day 20
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU,
but I was raised to be a nice girl.
I’m grateful for that, but at times I think this also hinders me. While I believe the world could use nicer people, I also think women can miss out on life in the name of being nice.
Nice shouldn’t come at the expense of your voice or your dreams. Nice doesn’t push you to be small or to hide. Nice isn’t living a joyless life to appease the expectations of others.
Nice