As I retold an embarrassing moment from my childhood–doing something that made me foolishly stand out, that still brings a head-shaking colour to my cheeks, a colleague suggested that maybe I am meant to be bold and stand out, and this moment squashed my spirit. I told her that I would only do it if I could stand out quietly.
That reflection led to a Google rabbit trail about what it means to be quietly bold (boldly quiet led to websites about introverts). The first number of entries related to Quietly Bold Films who boldly tell stories through the female lens. There is also quite a discussion on how to translate quietly bold well into French, with a distinction between bold and loud. I can get a t-shirt with quietly bold written under a symbol which might something to someone. And there is a horse named Quietly Bold. Three pages in I could only find one reference that might help me understand what it means to be quietly bold.
Boldness doesn’t mean rude, obnoxious, loud, or disrespectful. Being bold is being firm, sure, confident, fearless, daring, strong, resilient, and not easily intimidated. It means you’re willing to go where you’ve never been, willing to try what you’ve never tried, and willing to trust what you’ve never trusted. Boldness is quiet, not noisy.1
It seems that Bold does not need a descriptor. It needs courage. That might be a rabbit trail for another day.
- https://dustyholcomb.com/2019/09/10/quietly-bold/