DW's Blog
Boldness
by DW Green — July 20, 2016
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”—Goethe I have always loved this quote. In fact, I shared it with a client a couple of weeks ago. What does it mean? Well, according to Goethe “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back — concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”—Goethe
I have always loved this quote. In fact, I shared it with a client a couple of weeks ago. What does it mean? Well, according to Goethe “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back — concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”
After rereading Goethe’s words several times it makes perfect sense. Particularly looking back at an event or decision from the advantage of hindsight. Sometimes things just seem to fall in place after making a difficult decision or embarking on a new path, a new direction for yourself or your company.
I especially like “Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Boldness as in “beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.” When I think of companies who embody Boldness, I think of Costco, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Wegmans, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Starbucks and many other’s.
Elliot and Dennis Christensen owners of Elden’s Fresh Foods in Alexandria Minnesota, demonstrated boldness and courage in their commitment to an extensive multimillion-dollar remodel of a single store in rural Minnesota. As did John and Pete Najjar, who boldly added 5,000 sq feet to their very successful Seaside Market in Cardiff California. Or Matt Zack and family who are in the process of converting a 14,000 sq. ft. Fresh ‘n Easy to a Jensen’s Foods in Point Loma California…a market well outside their brand’s market area. And Norman Mayne of Dayton Ohio who created the legendary Killer Brownie that is now sold nationally. I honor all of these men for their wisdom, courage and faith in themselves and their employees.
In my view, boldness is foundational for differentiation. It’s about trusting your instinct, your intuition, and having faith in your ability to execute a plan to accomplish your dreams. It’s about having the courage to step into the unknown. Courage does not mean absence of fear, but the willingness to surmount it—which, when accomplished, reveals hidden strength and the capacity for fortitude. Fear of failure is diminished by realizing that one is responsible for the intention and effort but not the result, which is dependent on many other conditions and factors that are nonpersonal.
Boldness often defies conventional wisdom. Disrupting the status quo. Not for the sake of challenging accepted wisdom or belief’s but for the sake of bringing to life to one’s vision of service to society.
So I say, step out of the confines that conventional thinking embraces and create the vision that rests within.
From Star Trek: Space (imagination): the final frontier…to boldly go where no man has gone before.
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