What You Can Learn From the Romantic Period – Part 3: Be Outrageous

“Great things are only possible with outrageous requests.” ~ Thea Alexander

Get ready to be outrageous! In What You Can Learn From the Romantic Period, 3 characteristics from the Romantic Period are revealed as well as how you can apply each characteristic to achieve positive change and fulfillment in your life.

Here is a quick recap of Parts 1 and 2:
The Romantic Period was an artistic and philosophical movement (around the late 1700s to mid-1900s) when artists moved away from the strict laws of balance and restraint of previous periods.
Part 1 explored Self-Expression
Part 2 examined Emotion versus Intellect

Part 3: Be Outrageous
Here, we explore a third characteristic of the Romantic Period: a love of the fantastic and exotic. Romantic artists might display this by using fantasy, dreams, exotic lands and cultures, or exotic, idealized historical periods.

You can apply the fantastic and exotic to your life by being outrageous in your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.

Dream Big
Some of the greatest achievements in history started with what many considered outrageous dreams and ideas: the Wright brothers and their first powered and piloted plane, Walt Disney and his Mickey Mouse concept, Ted Turner and his 24-hour news station, CNN.

Dare to be an outrageous dreamer. Think BIG. When you do, you open up yourself to unimaginable possibilities.

Think Different
Romantics with a love of the fantastic and exotic probed more deeply into their creative imagination. Get outrageous by probing into your creative imagination! Challenge routine thought patterns by seeing things differently and asking creative questions.

Einstein, who was famous for questioning the ways things worked, said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand.” See how far your creative imagination will take you.

Change Your Attitude
Another way to be outrageous is in your attitude. When you are faced with a challenging situation, practice having a different attitude; this shifts your energy, allows you to see things in a new way, and leads to positive outcomes.

People who lost their jobs as a result of the economy (including me), saw it as an opportunity to start a new business, develop a new skill, or get an education.

Think of it this way: When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
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Being outrageous may mean getting out of your comfort zone. As you may have heard me say, when you are out of your comfort zone you are learning and growing.

In what ways are you outrageous?

You're Such a Goody-Two-Shoes

Have you ever been called “goody-two-shoes”? I have. There were times I was told I was too honest because, for example, I corrected a cashier’s error or I refused to tell untruths on someone else’s behalf.

I used to be offended by the term goody-two-shoes because my mind conjured up images of a schoolmarm who had zero sense of fun or risk-taking. Who wanted to be perceived in that manner? Not me!

Over time as I immersed myself in books and courses on personal development and leadership, the term “integrity” began to take on great significance. I saw the devastating effects a lack of integrity had on businesses, the economy, and communities (think Bernie Madoff, the Great Recession, and Fortune 500 companies that have fallen from grace). Certainly other factors such as greed played a role in these situations; yet, a lack of integrity ranks high on the list.

In 2009, when Fortune magazine reported schools were adding courses on integrity to MBA programs, I knew these schools saw the same lack-of-integrity effects I did.

Nowadays, when someone describes me as goody-two-shoes I realize what they are really saying is, I am a woman of integrity. If the term goody-two-shoes does not appeal to you, the next time someone describes you as such consider it a high compliment and keep moving forward.

Unleash your brilliance without boundaries,
Christine

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