Bold people are not afraid to take risks and try new things. They experience fear, but don’t let their fear dictate the way they live their lives.
Have you wondered how you could live a life more boldly?
It has very little to do with who you are and more to do with the habits you embody. Below, we’ll discuss 15 characteristics of bold people that you can use to help you become more confident in your life and your decisions.
15 Characteristics of Bold People
1. Bold People Take Initiative
Bold people aren’t afraid to do things without being told. They don’t wait for permission, and they’ll even take the lead if no one else is stepping up or willing to try something new.
Sometimes ideas just need a champion—someone who will step forward and start moving in that direction as others stand by unsure of what should be done.
If you want to be bold, then start taking more initiative in your life and doing things for yourself without always waiting for permission from someone else first. You’ll never know if something great will come of your efforts if you don’t try.
You can take more initiative by taking a small step every day. Start by messaging a friend to ask them how they’re doing before they reach out to you. You could also volunteer for an extra project at work.
These small steps will get you accustomed to taking initiative and increase your boldness over time.
2. Bold People Believe In Themselves
Bold people have a strong sense of self-belief. They don’t let their fears or doubts about themselves stop them from trying something new, and they believe that they’re capable of greatness, no matter what anyone else says otherwise.
If you want to be bold, then it’s important for you to truly develop strong inner confidence and belief in yourself. You don’t need anyone else’s approval to be bold and confident, so if someone tries to bring you down or discourage you from reaching your goals, it just means that they’re insecure about their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.
If you’re having trouble expressing or living by your personal beliefs, journaling may help. Journaling is a great way to get in touch with your deepest feelings and emotions, and what you truly believe about yourself. You might be surprised how much power words have over the person that you are inside.
Here are some great prompts that can help you to identify your beliefs:
- What do I believe?
- Why does this belief make me happy/sad/angry?
- How did these beliefs affect my daily life?
- How can they help me to reach my goals moving forward?
- Who am I without the limits of fear and doubt holding me back from living boldly every day?
Take a few moments every night before you go to bed and complete at least one of these prompts in your journal. You’ll be surprised by how much clarity this brings into your life.
3. Bold People Do What Is Right for Them
Bold people have an inner compass that guides them towards making decisions that are in their best interests. They don’t let what other people think get in the way of making big decisions that could impact their lives for years to come, and they have a strong enough sense of self-worth that they can stand up for themselves if someone tries to push them around or treat them unfairly.
Boldness isn’t just about making big decisions, though. It’s also about making the right decision for yourself in every moment of your life—no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at first glance.
One way you can focus on doing what’s right for you is by letting go of a habit that doesn’t align with your life. If you’re trying to eat healthier, then stop buying junk food. If you’re looking for a new job, look through job boards instead of scrolling on social media during your lunch breaks.
Sometimes, doing what is best for ourselves is a compromise, because we need to delay instant gratification for something that will ultimately benefit us in the long term. It can be difficult to let go of things like comfort, convenience, and instant pleasure, but doing so is often worth it for people who want to live more boldly.
4. Bold People Speak Up When They Have Something Important to Say
Bold people don’t stay silent when they need to speak up about things that matter to them. They know how important it is for them (and the world) to share their opinion and ideas, even if they’re not perfect or make a mistake in doing so.
If you want to be bolder, then start by speaking up more at work, with friends, and with family. This doesn’t only have to happen in person. You can also practice expressing your thoughts in emails, text messages, and phone calls.
Don’t take over the conversation. Simply chime in whenever you have something important to share with the group.
5. Bold People Own Their Actions and Take Responsibility
When a bold person makes a mistake, they own up to it and take responsibility. They don’t blame other people for their actions or try to justify why something went wrong—they just apologize, learn from the experience as much as possible, and move forward in life with the knowledge that they now have, so things will be different moving forward.
Bold people are confident enough to do this because they know that they’re capable of making positive changes in their lives. Their mistakes don’t define who they are as a person, and when something goes wrong it’s not the end of the world, because bold people always find ways to turn things around for themselves through sheer perseverance and determination.
If you’re struggling with taking responsibility in your life, you’re probably also struggling with self-forgiveness. You can practice self-forgiveness in many ways. You can write a letter to yourself, talk with someone you trust about what you did wrong and why it was not okay, or simply forgive yourself for your mistakes without any explanation at all—simply know that everyone makes mistakes sometimes because we’re only human after all!
6. Bold People Confront Their Fears
It’s a common misconception that bold people live without fear. While they do have a healthy sense of fear and can identify when something is a risk or could potentially cause them harm, bold people don’t let this stop them from moving forward.
Boldness isn’t about being completely fearless all the time—it’s more about how you respond to your fears that makes you either brave or not-so-brave. Bold people know when they need to ask for support when they are feeling afraid, and don’t feel that they need to accomplish everything on their own.
Most importantly, bold people focus on the feeling that’s on the other side of fear. They acknowledge that anxiety, stress, and nervousness are sometimes inevitable when progressing in life. They understand that what they’re feeling isn’t pleasant or desirable, but they also know that once their fear fades away it will be replaced by something incredible.
7. Bold People Learn and Study
Bold people became that way from learning and studying. They know that the more they understand about themselves, other people, and how the world works, the easier it becomes to make decisions in life because they’re able to predict possible outcomes based upon what they have already learned through their experiences.
Boldness is not something you are born with (or without), but rather a mindset developed over time from reading, listening to podcasts, taking online courses, and simply observing other people. People who are bold make learning a priority.
All of us have access to free education nowadays through the internet. Whether you want to learn a new language, about the history of your industry or field, how to play an instrument, or perfect something else—there’s always more knowledge out there that could benefit you in life only if you’re willing to take the time every day and commit yourself to learning.
If you want to become a better worker, choose topics that you’re personally interested in. This will make it easier to make time in your schedule to study.
8. Bold People Aren’t Afraid to Say No
Bold people are able to say no because they’re comfortable with their own boundaries. They know what’s best for them and don’t allow other people or circumstances to sway their opinion otherwise—they understand that it will only make life harder for them later on if they start compromising themselves in order to please others all the time.
People who say yes all of the time end up feeling resentful and unhappy. Saying no to things that you don’t want is a way of practicing self-love. You are letting everyone know that you respect yourself and your time enough to make personal decisions about what’s best for you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should say no when someone needs help or is depending on you in some way—just know the difference between saying yes and opening up a door in order to be helpful versus always feeling like you need to do something in order to help others and yourself.
9. Bold People Strategize
It may seem like bold people are spontaneous and don’t plan their lives out, but this is far from the truth. Bold people understand that life takes a lot of effort and you always have to move forward in order for things to happen—otherwise it’s just a matter of time before you get stuck or fall behind entirely.
When you take the time to make plans in your life, you are much more confident about your decisions. You know that you are making the right choice in order to move your life forward, and this makes it easier for you to stick with something even when faced with obstacles.
People who take control of their lives have goals they want to accomplish within a specific time frame—and these goals give them drive every day because they’re always thinking about how close they are to reaching their dreams.
10. Bold People Aren’t Afraid to Act
Bold people are committed to making things happen in their lives—they don’t wait for someone else to do something or take control of a situation. They focus on the end result they want and then go out into the world with determination in order to make it come true.
People who are bold know that life is short. There is no time to waste—so they take action and do not allow fear of failure or embarrassment to hold them back from making progress.
11. Bold People Value Clarity
The only way we can confidently act is by having clarity of where we want to go. We mentioned above that strategy is an important component of boldness. This is because the strategy will help us to get clear about the direction we want to go.
Bold people understand that clarity is necessary in order for anything great to happen—they know that they need a clear and concise vision of what it is they’re trying to accomplish before acting on something because without this understanding, there’s no way you could possibly expect things to turn out as planned or wanted.
12. Bold People Are Honest
Bold people are honest people. Not only with others, but with themselves. It’s very easy to lie to ourselves about the things we want because it’s easier than admitting that this is what we really desire.
Bold people are honest with themselves, and they make the decision to stay true to their thoughts even if they don’t match up with how others might view them. They choose authenticity over everything else—even if it means they might get judged and criticized for their honesty.
13. Bold People Have Clear Values
Values are one of the most important things to consider when building your character. Your values are what you stand for—they’re principles that guide how you live and act in life, even if it means making sacrifices or taking stands against other people’s beliefs. We develop these belief systems through our experiences and through the knowledge we’ve acquired from those around us.
Bold people reflect on their values whenever they make a decision. They make sure that their actions will be aligned with their beliefs, and this gives them a sense of purpose as they move forward in life.
Take some time to name what your values in life are. You will find that once you do, it’s much easier to live in accordance with these values and feel good about your choices.
14. Bold People Have Standards
Standards are a big part of who we are—they’re what make us unique. We all have standards for how we expect others to treat us, and these expectations should be reasonable enough that other people can meet them too without any problems.
Bold people know it’s important to set a standard in their lives, no matter where they go or what situation they’re in. They have a standard for what they expect from others, and most importantly, they also hold themselves to this same set of standards as well.
15. Bold People Can Admit When They’re Wrong
Being bold isn’t just about knowing what you want and going after it—it’s also about being open to changing your perspective as well. This includes knowing when we’re wrong and having the courage to admit this mistake without any hesitation.
Bold people are always improving themselves because they know that there is no such thing as perfection in life. So these people are always looking for ways to improve themselves and learn from the past.
Being able to admit when you’re wrong not only shows a lot of self-confidence in oneself—it also demonstrates that we can see things from another person’s perspective too without getting defensive or offended.
Final Thoughts
These 15 characteristics of bold people can serve as blueprints for how we should live our lives. By adopting these characteristics into daily life, it’s possible for you to be confident in your decision-making and have the courage to be true to yourself—no matter what others might think about your choices. Being bold is rewarding, but not always easy. However, if you can take small steps to adopt these characteristics into your life—you’ll see that it’s not so hard at all.