Linda Guirey Remember to Just be B.R.A.V.E..........
Life doesn’t always go according to plan.
No matter how hard we focus, plan and strategise, the unexpected can happen to throw us off our path.
It is during these challenging times that can become the crossroads to your success and may need to make a
B.R.A.V.E. decision.
I faced a life changing moment in 1998 when my husband of 10 years said to me “I want to become a woman”.
My world stopped and went silent. I knew that I had to make a life changing decision that would affect not just me,
but our three beautiful young children and also my husband and that was when my B.R.A.V.E. decision making
process was born.
B = BELIEFS: What do you say to yourself – what is your self-belief?
The most important words you will ever hear are the words you say to yourself, yet so many people define themselves
by what other people think. I knew what other people thought about my situation, but it wasn’t going to define me.
R = RATIONAL: Open your mind to the information you need to make the right decision, even information that may
go against your entrenched beliefs - don’t censor your mind. I went to the transgendered community to find the
answers I needed.
A = AUTHENTIC: Be true to yourself - make the decision that YOU need to make, not a decision that other people
expect you to make! Many people were telling me what they thought I should do, but I had to be true to myself.
V = VALUES: Often when we face major decisions, we have to satisfy our highest values and let the others go.
Define your values. My highest values at that time were my children and my relationship.
E = EMOTION: Your emotional thinking is very strong, yet it’s not the place to make major decisions. You can
imagine my emotions - from anger and confusion to sadness and emptiness.
I worked through this process, went back to my husband and told him that I would stand by him, one day at a time but
that our ‘marriage was over’. I was losing a husband, but gaining a sister - it’s not the same! The kids were losing their
Dad, but gaining an Aunt - definitely not the same!
We redefined in our relationship and lived for another seven years as a very unconventional, yet happy, family. Then
in 2005 something changed - my values.
Values guide our decisions and that was when we finally separated and got divorced.
Sometime later I met my new husband on an internet dating site called ‘Find Someone’. True story, he was looking for
a car at the time on another site, saw the link to ‘Find Someone’ and my new chapter began.
I continue to use this process in all aspects of my life. I share this with my audiences and clients to help them through
challenging times, difficult decisions, through the pain when life doesn’t go according to plan.
2014 may bring challenges to you....if you want to grow, gain strength and continue to be successful, be B.R.A.V.E.
Linda Guirey is a highly respected expert on Life Choices. An
inspiring and compelling international speaker, trainer and coach
who transforms people and organisations from the inside out, Linda
was voted “Best Speaker 2012 ” at the Corporate Event’s People’s
Choice Awards. http://www.lindaguirey.co.nz | [email protected]Contact Linda in New Zealand - 00649 441 3201 | 006421 0461 014