Live Boldly
You know how when you buy a book, thinking it’s going to be life-changing or inspiring and it ends up being rubbish, and you donate it to the library or give it away, wishing it had never been published?
Live Boldly is not one of those books.
Live Boldly: Cultivate the Qualities That Can Change Your Life, Marry Anne Radmacher’s second book, is full of wisdom, insight and good plain fun. Full of challenges to be fulfilled, prompts to be written about and quotes, poems and other tidbits, Radmacher elaborates on 34 qualities that everyone could use in his or her own life—and how to incorporate them.
The tone of the text is that of living in the moment—of slurping up life in one giant crazy straw and ending with a resounding burp. Both playful and meaningful, Living Boldly is an invitation to live. Radmacher makes it clear from the beginning that living boldly does not mean loudly or obnoxiously—it is “an admonition to allow your desires and illuminating natural character to overshadow your sense of being watched, of standing in the judgment of others.”
You know some people are always wondering, “What will the neighbors think?!” Living Boldly is the opposite. It’s like that saying—“Dance as if no one is watching”—only it’s applied to your entire life.
Each brief chapter begins with a quality, such as compassion, generosity, friendship, enthusiasm and leadership, and the definition of that quality. That definition is followed by a famous quote or two—and then one by Radmacher.
It’s then followed by a personal story about Radmacher or someone she knows—such as how she accomplished her dream of working for President Clinton—and ended with a “toolkit.” Each toolkit is a set of ideas to help the reader incorporate the quality highlighted in that section in his or her own life. They include questions to ponder (possibly in a journal), suggested reflections or affirmations, writing topics, ideas for icons or totems to carry with you to help you remember the quality, suggested rewards for yourself or others, poetic reflections and more.
The toolkit is perhaps the most powerful component of the book. It may direct you to naming your “board of directors” or people—living or dead—whom you admire and whose advice you would heed, or wonder “what would so-and-so do?” It might ask you to live in the present moment by timing yourself do a single task—and nothing else.
Live Boldly is both an enjoyable and helpful addition to the spiritual bookshelf. Good for both men and women, it’s easy to read, with simple instructions that make a big impact.
