Free Cards · The Audacity

30 Days of Audacity A personal challenge

Thirty small, slightly scary dares that make asking for more feel normal.

Thirty small dares, one a day. None of them are dangerous. Most of them will feel a little awkward, which is how you know they’re doing something. Week one warms you up. By week four you’re asking real people for real things.

Go in order if you can. If a dare doesn’t fit your life, swap in something that scares you the same amount. Keep a line of notes for each day, especially the days the answer was yes. Those are the ones you’ll forget first.

Print it, stick it on the fridge and cross off each day with a thick marker.

Week 1: Warm up

  1. 01Order exactly what you wantOrder the coffee or the meal precisely the way you like it, modifications included, without apologizing for it.
  2. 02Unsubscribe from fiveUnsubscribe from five emails or accounts that leave you feeling behind.
  3. 03Ask one small favorAsk someone for help with a small thing you would normally handle alone, then let them do it their way.
  4. 04Take the whole lunchTake your full lunch break away from your desk and your inbox.
  5. 05Decline without a storySay no to one request or invitation today without inventing an excuse.
  6. 06Share it unpolishedShow someone one thing you made, wrote or cooked before you think it’s perfect.
  7. 07Brag to one friendText a friend who will cheer one thing you did well this week, with no self-deprecating joke attached.

Week 2: Say the number

  1. 08Write down your balancesList your checking, savings and any debt balances in one place, just the numbers, no commentary.
  2. 09Find your real hourly rateDivide what you earned last month by the hours you actually worked and write the result where you’ll see it.
  3. 10Ask what it costsAsk a real person the price of something you assumed was out of your league.
  4. 11Call about one billCall one provider you pay every month and ask politely whether a lower rate or a better plan is available.
  5. 12Say your price cleanSay your rate or salary target out loud five times without “just,” “only” or “around.”
  6. 13Return the guilt purchaseReturn, resell or give away one thing you bought out of guilt or boredom.
  7. 14Schedule real restBlock two hours this week for nothing productive and protect them like a client meeting.

Week 3: Take up room

  1. 15Go firstIn your next meeting or group chat, share your idea first instead of waiting to see what everyone else thinks.
  2. 16Send the follow-upSend the follow-up email you’ve been drafting in your head for a week.
  3. 17Ask what you’re best atAsk someone whose opinion you respect what they think you do best, and write the answer down word for word.
  4. 18Introduce yourself properlyTell one new person what you do in a single sentence, with no “kind of” or “trying to.”
  5. 19Say the goal out loudTell one goal you’ve been keeping private to someone who will remember you said it.
  6. 20Release one obligationKindly, and with notice, step back from one commitment you only agreed to out of guilt.
  7. 21Celebrate the halfway markMark progress on something unfinished with a small treat you’d normally save for the finish line.

Week 4: Ask for real things

  1. 22Rewrite your bioUpdate your bio or professional headline for the woman you are now, not the one from two jobs ago.
  2. 23Send one pitchSend one idea, proposal or pitch to a person who can actually say yes.
  3. 24Write the higher numberWrite your next rate or salary ask a little higher than feels comfortable, then read it until it looks normal.
  4. 25Ask for the introductionAsk someone in your network to introduce you to one specific person, and tell them why.
  5. 26Thank someone preciselySend a thank-you message that names exactly what someone did and what it changed for you.
  6. 27Post the winShare one real result or milestone publicly without shrinking it.
  7. 28Make the askAsk for the raise, the referral, the testimonial or the spot. Pick one and send it today.
  8. 29Pass on a good thingTurn down one decent opportunity that doesn’t fit where you’re going.
  9. 30Book the bigger versionCircle the dare that scared you most this month and put a bigger version of it on your calendar.

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