My courageous girl with the Fearless Girl statue looking over the New York Stock Exchange

Courageous, not Fearless

07/12/2022 | Legacy Rising |

My 11-year-old daughter and I spent almost 2-weeks visiting multiple places on the East Coast. It was a great mother/daughter trip with many adventures. 

I have a fear of being lost. Because of this fear, our trip full of planes, trains, buses, boats, and cars gave me some worry even before we departed.

Early in the journey, I vulnerably shared my fear of being lost with my daughter and asked for her grace in situations where I might feel fear. She was so sweet and agreed to help us navigate throughout our trip. I think she appreciated me openly sharing my worries as I often try to shield my kids. 

The last city on our trip was New York City. NYC was by far the most difficult to navigate. However, I wanted my daughter to see and take a picture with the Fearless Girl statue — I thought it would be a great photo to hang in her bedroom as she prepares to start middle school in the fall. 

The Fearless Girl statue was installed facing the Charging Bull statue less than 10 years ago, promoting female empowerment. 

The day we looked for the statue, my map apps weren’t working correctly, and we got lost. After almost an hour of searching, we finally found the Bull statue, but the Fearless statue was missing. I started to get frustrated and give up, but my tech-savvy young lady quickly used her phone to learn that the Fearless Girl statue had been moved. We rerouted and found the statue across from the New York Stock Exchange. 

We are both learning to be more courageous

It was quite the adventure – and on our way back, we talked about how cool it was to see the statue but how it’s not realistic to ask people to be fearless. My daughter pointed out that I was scared when we got lost but that I kept going and she told me that she was proud of me.

We agreed that instead of being fearless, our goal should be to be courageous – to take action in the face of fear!

Definitions:  

  • Fearless – lacking fear.  
  • Courageous – not deterred by danger or pain; brave.

So glad to have re-learned this critical life lesson with this amazing girl!

Kelli Williams is the Founder of Williams Brand Consulting, Co-Founder of 40 Acres Investments, a strategic advisor for multiple businesses, a professional speaker, and a dedicated business leader with a passion for personal branding, leadership, and mentorship. Kelli currently is a board member with the Greater Twin Cities United Way and an Advisory Board Member for the Minority Business Growth Alliance. 

Williams Brand Consulting is an independent marketing consultancy providing services that range from Fractional CMO: senior-level omnichannel marketing strategy and team leadership on a long-term basis to strategic project expertise: ad-hoc / project-level expertise available to support short-term projects and initiatives. Contact us to learn more about how an outside-the-box approach to fulfilling your strategic marketing leadership needs may help build a strong marketing foundation and future growth.

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