Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

You bet, I am headed in the direction you are thinking? What is wrong with you anyway. Get your head out of the gutter!

I said it, “Brass Balls,” like in reference to a pair.

Paul Coulter a great friend and mentor of mine has a pair of Brass Balls, literally a pair suspended in plastic he has on display in his office. Sometimes he takes them on the road when presenting or speaking at business meetings. It’s been a number of years since I heard the story of the Brass Balls but the message behind the balls, still impacts my approach to life.

In fact, I bet you are still reading even though I might have pushed the envelope just a bit. You might say I have “A Pair” to even consider writing about the subject. I must admit it is a calculated risk. I do remember that no one has ever left the room when Paul presented his “Brass Balls” speech to the audience. The meaning behind the “Brass Balls” is so clear I probably don’t even need to tell you what it is.

Sometimes in life you have to take some risks, you are going to have to dig in. If you have no idea what I am talking about some other words for “Brass Balls” include:

• Intestinal Fortitude
• Chutzpah
• Courage
• Endurance
• Vigor
• Heart
• Moxie
• Spunk
• Guts

Since I am sure I have a few women readers, cut me some slack and embrace the intent behind my message.  Yes, I have met a few women over the years who clearly have “A Pair.”

Back to my friend Paul, his message would be hollow if not for his own courage.  I am not sure of Paul’s exact age but its in the 70’s.  I had lost track of Paul for a few years and we reconnected on LinkedIn of all things.  I know people much younger than Paul who are still fearful and bitter about the new business medium called the internet.  I think Paul is on his 3rd website and continues to explore the latest ideas on personal happiness and success.

What kind of risks have you taken lately?

Meet my friend Paul Coulter.

Have you ever been REAL?

It is my belief the biggest risk you will ever take in your life is not being real.

So many people I know are trapped living someone else’s life or vision.

People do this for various reasons, peer pressure, fear of rejection, family values or other social reasons.  I can understand why this happens, maybe you have been made fun of or felt the disappointment in you by a parent or spouse, but is it really worth it?  Do you really want to live somebody else’s life?

I have attended numerous retreats and seminars where people have had the opportunity to be themselves and let their guards down.  The resounding messages I have learned from these experiences are people are very much alike, and people think they are very much different.  That is an interesting statement, we are alike but inherently we feel different.  Maybe the truth is we are all very much different but have the same fears.

Over the last few years I have been focusing on being myself as much as possible.  A favorite business networking event I attend is called “Your Business is Personal,” meaning is there really anything in life that is not personal?   If everything is personal then why are we living such separate lives?  In my quest to bring my personal life to all that I do, I think they call that having personality, I have learned I have missed out an many opportunities.  Opportunities that were not presented because no one knew about my interests or passions.

Earlier I mentioned the well known risks of being yourself, which can be summed up with one term REJECTION, but there are other risks.  If you are not being yourself you might attract friends, spouses, careers and lifestyles that are not a match.  That is a big price to pay.

On the other side, by being yourself you might find there is that life you always dreamed of waiting for you.  How many years are you going to waste being something that you are not?

If you are not being yourself then who are you?

Be Real, it’s worth the Risk and Reward.

Photo Credit – Sundeip Arora of Sundesign