I had the opportunity to work with small business owners a few weeks ago on a concept around Playing Your Bigger Business Game. Play Your Bigger Game is a book written by Rick Tamlyn; he also developed a concept around a tic-tac-toe board with specific pieces in each square, which help facilitate playing your bigger game. It is pure brilliance.

As I facilitated the group, I noticed that in this particular session, there was a lot of movement towards wanting/needing to take bold action. A few things came with this:

• Intuitively, the workshop participants already knew the bold action they really wanted to make.
• When the bold action was verbalized out loud, the initial response was almost like a “I can’t believe I said that.”
• An immediate moment of self-doubt emerged following speaking the bold action out loud.
• Observing these responses in someone else was very powerful—it provided a new lens into our own journeys of bold action.
• More to follow came after the bold action square. It didn’t stop with knowing and verbalizing the bold action.

I think we can all relate to this. Taking bold action isn’t always easy. We know we “should” make the move and we also let a million excuses, avoidance and other things get in the way of making the bold move. This is why the Play Your Bigger game board is so brilliant. There are 8 other squares besides bold action that can help keep the process going. 

For many of our bigger game players at this workshop, the need to find allies was key. For others, it was investment in self. We had a powerful moment where someone identified that the limiting beliefs were so strong that maybe investing in a coach or therapist would be useful. I remember investing in the Produce U program when I knew it was needed if I wanted to take the bold actions with my business. Talk about a GULP moment! The beautiful thing about using this Bigger Game tool is that there is movement and flow. There is no need to be stuck. We just move to another square to keep our flow going.

Here are the four most important things I’ve learned about BOLD action:

B—Believe: I need to believe in myself.

O—Others: I may need others to lean into, remind me of my brilliance, and provide connection.

L—Learning: I can take all the learning and wisdom I’ve gained over the years to support the bold action. It’s a reminder that I know what I’m doing and can trust that. I have evidence to support it.

D—Decision. Taking a bold action requires a decision to act with intention. Once the decision is made, it’s go time.

What do you notice about your flow when taking bold actions? What are the things that support you the most? What does playing your bigger game look like?

Keep SHINING in Your Brilliance!