How To Be Courageous Enough To Be Honest
Oct 20, 2025
Everybody knows that ‘honesty is the best policy.’
But being honest with yourself is sometimes the hardest thing to do as an entrepreneur.
It takes courage to face some uncomfortable truths on the entrepreneurial adventure. And if you’re not going to be honest with yourself it could spell disaster for your business in the long run.
Here are 2 scenes from the movie of the century - A Knight’s Tale - that describe important times on your entrepreneurial adventure when you need to be courageous enough to be honest with yourself.
1. When It’s Time To Say Goodbye
"All good things must come to an end. Let's end them together.” A Knight’s Tale
It takes a lot of courage to realize when it’s the right time to end something.
Some projects have a clear endpoint, but it might be more of a gray area when you’re working with clients or using a certain tech tool.
Are you both still serving each other in your business relationship? And are the tech tools you’re using making your business better or just adding pain points?
Courage Challenge #31 has 2 parts.
Part 1: What do you need the courage to end or leave behind? It might even be an area where you need to make a pivot. Write it down.
And here is part 2 of Courage Challenge #31: Do you have the courage to lean on others while doing this?
“I have always had the mantra of business is better together. I believe that to my middle.” Kim White
When you're facing something in your business and you have other business or team members who understand what you are going through, it makes it so much more manageable.
It can even add some joy to something difficult.
Being in community can feel time-consuming, but the truth is you gain so much more by leaning on others and pressing into your tribe.
2. When The Haters Show Up
"In what world would you have beaten me?" A Knight’s Tale
In A Knight’s Tale, William is in shackles in a prison cell, and Count Adhemar comes in just to taunt him. And he's taunting William as if he is not talented, or of any value. He's taunting him as if he is less than himself.
On the entrepreneurial adventure, you're going to have those Count Adhemars in your life. There will be people who will make you feel like you aren’t good enough to do what you’re doing.
How can you build your confidence with evidence that lends you the courage to stand up when it's tough and someone is taunting you, or when it appears others are winning and you are losing?
You need to have the courage to be honest with yourself about the good times.
This is where it's really important to create an evidence file. An evidence file can remind you of the times you have made a difference, of the people you have helped, and the positive feedback you’ve received.
“We can have a hard time believing ourselves when we're trying to convince ourselves of something. So when it's coming from someone else, it tends to be more believable.” Jill Olish
Your evidence file will remind you that:
Yes, you’ve done that before.
Yes, you can do it again.
Yes, people love working with you.
Yes, your clients recommended you to their friends.
Courage Challenge #32 : What evidence do you have that you can keep in the hard times to make sure you remember you are worthy and you are valuable?
“We can get caught up in thinking that's woo woo stuff, when really our courage is limited if we don't have confidence.” Kim White
When you are honest with yourself about all the good you’ve done, it will build confidence naturally, and it will give you the courage to keep going even with the haters around.
It takes courage to face the facts, to lean on others, to be honest with yourself, and to end things when you need to pivot.
When you’re starting out, it can be scary to be so honest with yourself.
“Courage is doing something afraid. It does not mean that fear is not there.” Kim White
Be encouraged: That’s what the entrepreneurial adventure is all about!
If you missed the conversation about this between Kim and Jill on their podcast Buckets and Boom Gates, you can catch it here.
Our Groundwork Brigade is a home for entrepreneurs who want to build a business that they own and that doesn't own them. It’s a community of like-minded entrepreneurs finding freedom in the entrepreneurial adventure by practicing putting the right things in the right order.
It’s a safe space to learn how to build a relational business using irresistible marketing strategies, tailored to your individual needs, in a group setting, with lots of accountability and support.
To connect and find out more about Kim or how to create a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach her and the My Sexy Business Team at www.mysexybusiness.com.
And to connect with Jill Olish go straight to her website www.mamaoutspoken.com and you’ll find her there!
