It's time to have some ridiculous Audacity!

Sometimes, a story is a great way to understand a concept. Some things have to be put into context."

Tari wakes up one morning just late enough to know she's going to miss the early train. As she sleepily drags out of bed with her eyes still closed and head hanging, she stubs her toe on the corner of her bed sending an excruciating pain through her feet, "AGGH". 
She clinches her jaw as the pain subsides before grabbing her phone to see that her mom has called three times and left an ALL CAPS message....TARI SLATES... YOU BETTER BE HERE ON TIME TO OPEN THE STORE AND MEET THE NEW CLIENT. I AM LEAVING OUT FOR MY TRIP AT 8AM THIS MORNING AND DECIDED TO COME IN EARLY TO CHECK ON YOU AND HELP SETUP FOR THE MORNING. GET UP!
Punching the delete button while still clinching, the picture from last summer that hung from the necklace holder came into perfect view. It was hole-punched so that the pink yarn connected to a simple gold ring with a tiny round diamond lifted from the center. Oh, how she missed that summer and wearing that ring. She even placed it on her finger some nights before drifting to sleep. She made sure to take it off in the morning, she wouldn't want her mother thinking she was holding on to a tattered and unrealistic dream. 
"Riiiing....Riiiing.." Tari stared at the phone as she swished mouthwash from left to right. She didn't want to answer; she was already late and rushing, even though every fiber wanted to hear the voice on the other end.
"Tar', I know it's early and you're probably running late. Hope you didn't stub your toe, haha! I was just excited about the news and wanted to share it with you.  Please call me back, it's been a while but I still love you... even if we can just be friends. Oh, I GOT the business loan last month and SIGNED The Epic Time!! They loved our portfolio. I'm heading to the UK next week to begin working with them. Call. Me. Back." 
A smile and a tear appeared on her face, her heart wanted to be happy for him whilst yearning for what used to be and the future they were chasing. Last year, her parents expressed their disappointment in her decision to 'throw' her degree away to chase freelance photography with her "starving artist' boyfriend. When her mother saw the ring he proposed to her with, she and her ritzy friends laughed and expressed her going nowhere with those dreams. Prior to entering college, and meeting Ryan, her parents had just assumed she would enter into the designer clothing business and eventually take over.  She would continue her parents' dream and efforts, their 'legacy', while burying her own. For now, she was left to man the store while her mother partially lived the life that she had hoped to live with Ryan, but travel for work. Her mother would come back with fabulous pictures of her and her 'loves' as they toured Paris. Oh, how she wished she was a 'love'.  She thought, "I should say I want to go too...". 
She grabbed her coffee, keys, bag, and began to dial... 
"Morning. Yes, I overslept by 10 MINUTES! I know you thought I was sleeping or ditching your call. How come you didn't ask me to come on the trip?" she asserted, in a respectful-ish way.
"I didn't think you would want to come. And.. And who is going to man the store...." the voice on the other end sounded shaky. 
"The store was never my dream. I love photography and I've decided that I'm not going to bury or run away from my dreams anymore. How dare anyone have the audacity to think I should do that..." tears streamed her face and she smiled up at the sun as she walked toward the station. " I love you.... I'm coming". 
"I still love you too. I hope you sound this confident when you explain this to your parents." Ryan was beaming on the other end of the phone and jumping in the air. It had been five months since their break-up. " I'm gonna hang up and purchase your ticket before you change your mind". 
Tari passed up the subway entrance and pulled her camera from her bag, " I think I'll take the scenic route today." 

What would happen if you had a ridiculous amount of audacity to do and believe anything that makes your heart skip a beat or puts butterflies in your stomach? You know, the things that feed you life and hope! While Tari's story may not be yours, the concepts often align. We fear to go the course that our heart desires for fear that the end point won't be something we want to show off or that others accept. We forget that its the engaging in the passion that fulfills us, not always the pot of gold at the end. 

How would your life be different or change if you had ridiculous audacity? 

* Live an authentic life
* Start a business
* Commit to something you've always wanted to do
* Speak up for yourself
* Take that trip
*Change your major to something that interests you
*WEAR THE OUTFIT!
* Look in the mirror and LOVE the reflection you see
*Engage your passions!

Stay well,

Frankie.Alisha