Bad-ass is a term I’ve recently adopted for myself, and for my clients. My clients are incredible people. They deal with massive challenges with courage, with conviction that they’ll see it through, and they do. They earn that title as they wrestle with the inward and outward obstacles they encounter in their journey. Each of them has taught me something deep about living a Confident Life, and strengthened my own commitment to living my life courageously.
Today lets explore being a Bad-ass.
What does it mean to be a Bad-ass?
For my ultimate group of badasses, it means we face our shit and let it teach us. Simple, right? It really is. Until its not. You undoubtedly know how difficult life can be at times. You’ve trudged through dark, dark nights, and painfully grey and sullen days. You’ve had to wrestle your own heart and mind out of the clutches of self-loathing and despair. You’ve “cut your teeth” on the razor of repeated rejection. You. Are. A. Bad-ass. (join your fellow bad-asses here!).
Be The Bad-ass You Are™
To keep you on track in Being the Bad-ass You Are™, I’ve put together the “7 Principles of Being Bad-ass”. I’ve included a PDF version <– here and below that you can print and put up in your office, home, etc for easy reference.
Principle One: Own Your Shit
My clients are nodding and grimacing right now. Why? Because I am unrelenting with Ownership. It is the first foundational piece of putting ourselves back into our personal power and authority over our lives. What is Ownership? Its the taking of responsibility for the desires we have and their fulfillment, the choices we make from our desires, the actions we take from those choices, and the feelings we experience in all our circumstances and situations.
This deliberate and strict level of responsibility aligns us with the natural power we have in ourselves. This removes blame from other people and circumstances and forces us to see how we are contributing our difficulties, successes, and satisfaction in life. Remember: what you blame is where you’ve placed your power. Take it back.
Principle Two: Be Curious
Curiosity is one of my favorite principles of my The Art of Being Bad-ass™ system. It gets us engaged creatively. It opens up our minds to the possibility and options that are all around us. It liberates us from controlling the outcome and empowers us to do the scary things we must do for our personal achievement and success. Remember: explore your outcomes instead of controlling them.
Principle Three: Know Thyself
Bad-ass self-choosers know themselves deeply. They know their preferences, their don’t-wants, their limitations. They understand what they really want long term in their lives. They know their weaknesses and their self-sabotaging tendencies. They know their boundaries and how to know what they want based on their body’s feedback. They take time to consider options and how they line up with what they really want. Know where you begin and where you end.
Principle Four: Choose You First
Bad-ass people choose themselves first. They ask, “how does this fit me? How does this align with what I want in life? How does this help or hinder me in achieving my goals?” Bad-ass self-choosers are willing to say no to things that interfere or detract from their objectives, their satisfaction and their integrity. Choose You First.
Principle Five: Like You As You Are
Before love comes Like. Attraction. Interest. Play. Bad-ass people like themselves simply for what they find themselves to be. They enjoy their sense of humor, their interests, their disgusts, their boundaries. They let themselves share and receive their likes. They play and enjoy others with the same or similar likes. Like Yourself Each Day. Play each day.
Principle Six: Choose Others Deliberately
Relationships for people-pleasers and insecure individuals are rather “hap-hazard” and “hit-and-miss”. They simply accept what comes in. They have no vision for what they want (because they don’t know themselves). Bad-ass choosers know what they’re seeking. They’re willing to say YES to others that fit what they’re looking for. They are also willing to ASK for friendship, relationship, and so on. That’s because they feel themselves to be worth knowing and being with. Choose Relationships Deliberately.
Principle Seven: Live Deliberately
Being bad-ass means taking on the full weight of responsibility for YOUR LIFE and your satisfaction. It requires the abandonment of shame, excuses, blame, and ultimately self-loathing. These people choose goals that expand their capabilities in the direction of their big “why” and their big “vision” for themselves. They are alive, engaging in deliberate choices that bring them satisfaction and awareness. They ensure they’re happy because they’re choosing things that feed their core priorities and principles. Choose Your Life Deliberately.
There you go. These are my “7 Principles of Being Badass”. Now – go and live through them and lets see where you go!
DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE: CLICK ME
Your mentor and friend,
Marshall