Introduction

Boldness is a superpower.

What do I mean by that? I mean, compared to average human beings, bold individuals seize life in remarkable, almost unbelievable ways. They run for president. They succeed in business, in careers, in love, and they generally have a really good time. Bold people walk up to supermodels and ask them to dance. They stand in front of audiences and tell jokes, not even minding when people don’t laugh. They sing karaoke—badly—sober. Every weekend. They divorce an unsuitable husband even though their culture forbids it. They sit at the front of the room and ask questions. They start companies. They climb under the velvet ropes to meet a rock star or sneak into a nightclub. Or maybe they refuse to move to the back of the bus, like Rosa Parks. Or they’re a politician who decides he can end slavery or the Cold War.

Most of all, they don’t miss out on opportunities, and so they don’t have a head full of regrets.

Boldness is a gift, but it’s not something you’re gifted with or born with. It’s a gift you give yourself. In other words, boldness is not innate. That’s right. It’s not a genetic limitation. It’s not a mutation a chosen few are born with. Boldness can be learned. You can develop it. Refine it. Expand it to whatever level you choose. Harness it for your own good, and perhaps the good of the world.

I know, because I learned it. I taught myself to become bolder, and I can teach you.

I see boldness as something even greater than self-confidence. Because bold people aren’t just confident. They actively pursue things, attempt things, and achieve things that even confident people don’t. Boldness is self-confidence in action.

Bold people also get away with things that most people wouldn’t dare to attempt. I’m not talking about committing crimes here (although it takes quite a bit of boldness to be a cat burglar!). I’m talking about work situations, play situations, random encounters, and fleeting opportunities that bold people will leap at without a moment’s hesitation. They get further, they experience more joy, they pursue their dreams with passion and determination, and when they encounter an obstacle, they leap over, or tunnel under, or power straight through. They don’t hesitate.

That’s a word that will come up in this book over and over: hesitation. How often have you hesitated, when in retrospect you should have acted? If you’re like most people, and especially if you’re under-confident, the list is long. How many times in your life have you missed a great opportunity, a chance to change the course of your life, because you didn’t speak up? How many sales have you missed? How many promotions? How many relationships? How many unique moments? How many adventures? How much fun?

But what if you never missed