Hi,

I’m in my second week in Florence, Italy.

If you read last week’s letter, you know that my arrival did not go as planned. My apartment, although beautiful, was not in the location I had pictured, and I found myself frustrated.

I tried to get out of it. I used my voice. I asked for what I wanted.

And I wasn’t able to change it.

But here’s the beauty of what living The Bold Life actually is:

I’ve learned to make friends with discomfort.

I’ve learned to find faith in uncertainty.

I’ve learned that inside the discomfort, there is always an opportunity.

And I’ve seen that so beautifully this week.

Since being here, I connected with someone who I believe may become a very important part of what I’m creating—and they happen to live in my exact neighborhood.

There have been other things unfolding, too, that I’ll share with you later. Things that have made me stop and think:

Wait a minute. Maybe this was exactly what was meant to happen all along.

Maybe this apartment is actually perfect for what I’m doing during my first month in Florence. And then, for my second month, I’ll be living right in the center of the city.

Right now, being farther out requires me to walk an hour into Florence—which you know I love because it gives me my God walks.

It requires me to plan. To be intentional. To put myself out there.

And that has become the theme of this week:

Bold moves.

When you travel to another country, you’re naturally pushed outside your comfort zone.

But that’s essentially what living The Bold Life is.

It’s putting yourself in situations and places where you can no longer operate as who you’ve always been.

Because changing your environment doesn’t automatically change you.

You can move across the world and still live by the same habits, the same fears, and the same identity. It’s just a different background.

Real change happens when you allow the new environment to ask something new of you.

I came here wanting to create a social life. I wanted to build a life while I’m here—not simply sit in my apartment and watch Florence happening around me.

Because I’m not going to meet new friends sitting alone in my apartment.

I’m not going to create new opportunities by waiting for them to find me.

As much as we want connection and community, they rarely happen while we’re hiding.

So I started putting myself out there.

I introduced myself to strangers. I posted in Facebook groups. I reached out to people online.

I started asking:

Does anyone want to meet for coffee?

Does anyone want to come to this party?

Who wants to experience Florence with me?

And in doing that, I had to be willing to make the invitation without controlling the response.

You might think that, given what I do, this comes naturally to me.

It doesn’t.

As humans, we want to be accepted. We want to be loved. We want to be approved of.

And the fear of rejection stops so many of us before we ever give life the opportunity to say yes.

So I’m learning to befriend rejection.

I’m putting myself out there with pitches, brands, opportunities, Italian companies, and potential collaborations.

I’m putting myself out there online in a new way.

I’m putting myself out there in my own life.

I’m walking into cafés and attempting to speak Italian when I know maybe three words. Half the time, I’m speaking a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French.

But I’m trying.

There’s one café where I’ve started going with my computer. When you’re living abroad, finding a local place where you can sit, work, and feel comfortable is everything.

The first time I went in, the waitress looked like she was done with everybody that day. Maybe that was simply her disposition.

But I smiled. I tried to speak Italian. I kept making the effort.

And slowly, she softened.

She went from looking visibly grumpy and annoyed to smiling at me and appreciating that I was trying.

By the end, she was my biggest fan.

That small moment reminded me that we don’t always know what’s waiting on the other side of our willingness to try.

And here’s what has happened because I kept putting myself out there:

I’m going to a yoga event on Sunday.

I’ve connected with several business opportunities.

I have a new content-creation collaboration.

I’m meeting a new friend on Saturday.

I have four other events on my calendar and another that I’ll now be attending weekly.

None of that would have happened if I hadn’t been willing to make the first move.

Will every connection become a friendship?

Will every pitch become an opportunity?

Will every experience work out exactly as I want it to?

Of course not.

But I can hold the intention and allow myself to discover what happens next.

Either way, I’m proud of myself.

I’m proud that I didn’t sit back and wait.

I’m proud that I allowed myself to be seen.

I’m proud that I made the bold move without needing to know the result first.

And now, I invite you to do this with me:

What is one bold move you could make this week?

Who could you reach out to?

What could you ask for?

Where could you put yourself out there?

What would you do if rejection were no longer something you needed to fear?

Make the move.

Give life the opportunity to meet you there.

Rewrite the Rules,

Melissa Kathryn