Fuel your fierce

‘If I could choose a superpower, it would be the power to inspire,’ writes Brita Fernandez Schmidt in the introduction to her women’s guide to owning their power, Fears to Fierce. ‘When I’m inspired, I feel I can move mountains, overcome fears and follow my dreams. I feel a surge of energy that speaks to the very essence of who I am. I call this my fierce. When something inspires me, it is my fierce that responds. I call it my ‘fierce’ because when I follow it, I allow my true power to shine without holding back. ‘Fierce’ also implies feral wildness, something that is not tainted or touched by the norms that are learned and govern our everyday lives. I want you to feel like that, too.’

In the passage from Fears to Fierce below, Brita Fernandez Schmidt offers up some tips for tapping into the things that inspire you.

The key to transformation is to feel inspired and then to act on this inspiration. There are actions you can take now to begin straight away: commit to feeling inspired; learn what inspires you and why, and share this feeling with others; create a new habit and practise doing this. The steps in this action plan will help you get started.

The tasks below will help you connect to your inspiration so that you may begin the process of transformation:
1. Goosebumps
Think about the last time you got goosebumps and write it down. Do this regularly, and you will start to see patterns about what inspires you.

2. Actively feel inspiration
• Think about something that has inspired you.

• Tell one other person about it – really take time to describe how the person or what you heard made you feel and what you would love to do now as a result. What did it ignite in you? Have you felt this before? Just telling another person will solidify the inspiration within you. Saying what happened out loud is an important step towards acting on that spark. Don’t worry about what it might sound like, or that it sounds strange in your head – just do it.

• Once you have told another person about what inspired you, stop for a moment and reflect on what happened. How did you feel? In addition, reflect on the reaction of the person who you were sharing your inspiration with. If you can, note it down. At the beginning you might find this hard, but be patient and tune in to your feelings. How did your inspiration manifest in the person you told?

3. Your fierce needs food!
• Social media: Deliberately curate your Instagram and other social media feeds – set aside time to follow people who inspire you and look at their feeds regularly. Unfollow anyone who makes you feel the opposite.

• Podcasts: I listen to podcasts most mornings on my run. The SuperSoul Sunday recordings with Oprah Winfrey never fail me! For other podcasts that lift me up see my suggestions at the end of the book.

• Notebook: When you read something or hear something that inspires you, write it in your notebook. Then, when you are in need of inspiration, take the book and randomly open it. Read what you wrote on that page. It will always be exactly what you need to hear in that moment.

• Boardroom in your heart: This is my favourite action and I think you’re going to love it. I have created a boardroom in my heart where the most important humans who have inspired me deeply and have changed my life sit round the table. I can go to my boardroom whenever I need to and they’ll be there for me, to remind me of my resolve. They cheer me on. They inspire me. I invite you to start creating your own boardroom in your heart right now. Who will get the first chair? And as you continue going through the chapters, you can add more humans.