Back in May of this year, we went to Florence for a mini break and having done our research before hand, we had pre-booked tickets to climb the Duomo - Florence's magnificent cathedral dome.
On a visit to a nearby cafe the day before our booked tickets we discovered that there was quite a queue that built up for each timed entry so felt happy we knew where to go and to turn up a little bit ahead of our ticket time of 10:00am the next day to get a place near the front.
On the day itself, we arrived at 9:45 and there was no queue. The door into the Cathedral was closed and a rope in front of the door confirmed the first entry time would be 10:00am - for which we had already had our tickets. The predicament came from there not being anyone else yet in the queue - who would we ask "is this the queue for the Duomo?"
Of course, having been there the day before we were pretty certain this was the right place - but we were missing that comfort of other people already being there to confirm it for us. With no external validation, we had to trust we were in the right place and do something I have never done before during my entire 41 years..... I started a queue.
Well, to begin with it was just my husband and I standing in front of a rope and a closed door - nothing ground breaking there but within moments we were approached by a lone tourist who asked us the inevitable "Is this the queue for the Duomo...?" After an initial moment's hesitation in which I toyed with the idea of explaining in great detail that we had no idea and were simply taking a chance based on what we saw the day before, and if he wanted to be certain perhaps he should find someone who knew what they were doing and ask them...I instead decided to confidently back my decision and firmly declare "Yes, this is the queue for the Duomo" to which he thanked us and diligently joined our now queue of three.
As more and more people joined us, the more and more responsibility I felt. I had started a queue! People were lining up behind us, some of them asking but many just joining on the assumption that whoever was at the front (i.e ME) had some clue about what they were doing and was waiting in the right place....No pressure then, right?
As I waited in hope for the door to open and an official to check our tickets before ushering us in, I reflected on this new experience and how it relates to my intention of being bold in life.
It was a reminder that even when we don't feel 100% confident in our choices, but know they are based on sound information (or even simply our intuition) - we can be bold and stick to them. We can be leaders for others when they are also unsure of the situation. Often our attitude and behaviour is what sets the tone for others - others who may be looking to us for leadership, whether we want them to or not.
It reminded me that even when I don't have all the answers, I can still take action and trust that things will work themselves out.
It also nicely demonstrated how happy we often are to put our trust in someone we believe to have more information than us, or at least the confidence to appear so. How often do we put our trust in people simply because they act in a confident and bold way? How would it feel to embody that energy more often and inspire confidence in our self and others by simply acting bold?
It's easy and safe to wait for others to make a path for us, but it's not as exciting as making our own path. Living a bold life is not always comfortable, and it may not be simple but it's full of opportunity for adventure and new experiences. Bold doesn't worry about what other people think, or what might go wrong - Bold says "lets try, lets be curious, lets explore!"
My final point would be a challenge for you - what opportunities can you find this week to be bold and do something out of the ordinary? Where can you take the lead and make a decision to act?
(By the way, we were in the right place and it felt great to be the first ones up to the top of the incredible Duomo for the views across Florence. Totally worth it)
