It pays to be Assertive; it’s fun to be Audacious.

“Fortune favors the bold; arm thy self with audacity.”   William Shakespeare

A major theme of the SuccessMode mind set is, “I know what I want , and I expect to get it.”. Once you choose a goal or a series of goals, it pays to be assertive in order to achieve a successful conclusion. Assertive comes from the word assert, which Webster defines as “to state, declare, or demonstrate one’s will or desire.” Some goals are personal and you only need to state them to yourself. However, many endeavors require interaction and collaboration with others. If you want to play in the Super Bowl, it is going to take some teamwork. Ether way, success is an action sport that requires strategy and assertive effort on your part.

Often being assertive means communicating your desires to friends, families, colleagues and community, or even the whole world. Most people are not clairvoyant; you have to tell them what you want. Expressing yourself in

an assertive manner does not mean being rude, pushy, obnoxious, or aggressive. What is the difference between assertive and being aggressive? Assertive is to engage or act in a clear confident direction. Aggressive is defined as negative emotion, combative, and often violent behavior. So when we are expressing our thoughts and desires, we can remain self-assured yet friendly. People are impressed by calm confidence.

“The 4 Fs” are a favorite strategy among business leaders when it comes to negotiations. “The 4 Fs” are: Frank, Fair, Firm, and Friendly. Calm confidence wins the day.

Being audacious can be a lot of fun. It often entails daring and risky behavior that pushes the envelope of our daily lives. Risky business, which can be exciting and scary at the same time, cranks our energy and gets our juices flowing.

We do not have to be aggressive or domineering to reap the fun and rewards of audacity. Here are some descriptions of audacious: bold, daring, creative, innovative, industrious, risk raking, courageous, non- conforming maverick, inspirational, charismatic.

History is packed full of people who dared to venture beyond the boundaries of every day life to explore the great unknown. Just to name a few: Leonardo da Vinci, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford. Audacity can also lead to enormous profits and monetary rewards. People like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Oprha Whinnfrey, Elon Mustk, and Jeff Bezos have built fortunes with out of the box thinking and bold business models.

Being assertive and audacious are attitudes you can share with the world, as well as with yourself. Be the boss of your brain and set high standards and expect to have a fun rewarding life.

Listen to the SuccessSongs on this website or on the SuccessMode app or Spotify. SuccessSongs are full of audacious optimism. Also, tap your goals into the SuccessMode App (tell the world what you want) and write a few affirmations to create an “Attitude of Achievement.”