In celebration of my new book, Fearless At Work, we hosted a #FearlessLiving contest and encouraged people to share their stories of inspiration. So many of you shared amazing stories with us, and we are very excited to announce that Kandi VanIperen is our grand prize winner and will be joining us at Leadercast in Atlanta this week!
Kandi shared how she embarked on a 100 days of fearlessness challenge, where she and her friends encouraged each other to get out of their comfort zones and break through the status quo by completing daily challenges. Her story really embodies how little moments of fearlessness can create big outcomes as she used her newfound confidence to start a new career in the process.
Here is Kandi’s story in her own words.
Stay fearless!
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Have you ever felt like you were on auto pilot? Like each day was routine, unengaging, and stagnant. Well that was how I was feeling most days of the week at this same time last year.
Along with my friend, Heidi, we started a group called 100 Days of Dares. The idea was simple; dare each other and our friends to do one new thing each day for one hundred consecutive days. It was a silly idea but we ran with it. It was cozy at the start with about 20 of our friends and coworkers doing little fun things like trying new foods and recipes. Soon people were inviting others and we got braver and started pushing the limits.
The best part was that the challenge was personal. Each person dared themselves to do new things that excited them, motivated them, pushed them, and scared them. This created a wide range of new adventures to be shared and limitless new ideas to what could be tried. Because it was individualized, it inspired each member of the group (now over 100 members) in different ways. We saw people make things and break things, wear wigs and not wear make-up, try new activities and revisit old hobbies, perform random acts of kindness, face fears, and travel to new places all across the country.
The small moments that we started with turned into opportunities each week to do more, and resulted in even bigger outcomes by the end of the summer. For Heidi, it was a new perspective on life and stronger connection with her children (some of them even did the 100 days of dares with her). For me, it gave me the courage to quit my job of almost 10 years and say yes to a new career in a new industry. We became more fearless and less hesitant. As opportunities arise, we take on the challenges and inspire those around us in our group to do the same. We have already started another 100 Days of Dares for 2017 and are excited to see what everyone aspires to do next.
We believe it’s never too early or too late to start trying, doing, and living more. Start small. If you are about to order the same menu item from the same restaurant as you always do, stop yourself and try something new. If someone asks you to do something a bit crazy like go kayaking down the flooded street, say “Yes” like I did. If you want to have a food fight just because, then invite your friends over and do it. The most important thing, simply, is to start. Be fearless and say yes to more! You never know what it will prepare you for later.
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Molly Fletcher helps inspire and equip game changers to dream, live and grow fearlessly. A keynote speaker and author, Molly draws on her decades of experiences working with elite athletes and coaches as a sports agent, and applies them to the business world. Her new book, Fearless At Work, is now available for order. Sign up here to receive our monthly newsletter.