Why You Should Run Your Life Like a Feral Goose

I was having a bit of a rough day, so I decided to go for a walk and take a break, sitting on a bench by the neighborhood pond. Just watching the geese putter around, lost in the moment, when, out of nowhere, this absolute feral goose stormed onto the scene.

This goose wasn’t cute. It wasn’t calm. No, this was a full-blown, unapologetic, chaotic force of nature. It didn’t politely wait to join the orderly gathering of geese. It didn’t hesitate before snatching up food from the ground. It didn’t check in with anyone before charging forward, honkity honk honking like it owned the place.

As I sat there, watching the other geese move about in their polite, synchronized way, I couldn’t help but admire Gus the Goose (yes, I named him). Here he was, disrupting the status quo, doing whatever he wanted with the most audacity I have ever seen. To be honest, I was a bit jealous of his boldness.

After I stopped laughing, a thought hit me. What if we lived our lives with that same kind of feral goose energy? What if we stopped second-guessing, started taking up space, and chased our goals with the same boldness Gus had when he barreled into that pond party?

The truth is, geese don’t ask for permission. They don’t sit around analyzing their next step, weighing all the options, or questioning if they deserve what they’re after. They see food; they grab it. They want to move, they move. Meanwhile, we hesitate over everything. Should I get 2% milk or whole milk? Should I post on LinkedIn or Instagram today? Should I finally quit my draining job and start my dream business? Should I book the trip to Italy or wait until the timing is perfect? We tell ourselves we’re being responsible, thoughtful, and measured. But really, most of the time, we’re just scared. Scared of making the wrong choice. Scared of failing. Scared of what other people will think.

Geese don’t do that. They don’t wait for a perfect moment because they know it doesn’t exist. They trust their instincts and go. Confidence doesn’t come before action; action builds confidence. Gus didn’t pause to consider if crashing the other geese’s picnic was a wise decision—he just went for it. And that’s exactly what we need to do.

Let me be clear, though: it’s not just about going for what you want. It’s about how you show up in the process. Geese take up space loudly and unapologetically. A goose does not shrink itself to make others comfortable. It doesn’t lower its honk, mute its presence, or try to blend in. Yet, as humans, we do this all the time. We sit in meetings and hold back ideas because we don’t want to ruffle feathers. We downplay our accomplishments because we don’t want to seem arrogant. We hesitate to speak up, to be bold, to be seen. Especially as women, we’ve been conditioned to believe that taking up space is disruptive, that being loud is undesirable, and that blending in is the safer option. But blending in is also the fastest way to be overlooked, unheard, and unfulfilled.

Confidence isn’t about arrogance. It’s about knowing you belong and showing up like you do. Gus didn’t waver in his goose-ness. He honked, flapped, and strutted his way through that pond, and guess what? The other geese took notice. At first, they stared, probably wondering who this wildly confident newcomer was. But then, something interesting happened. The more Gus embodied his unfiltered, audacious self, the more the other geese started to join in. They honked louder. They flapped bigger. They let loose. And suddenly, the entire scene shifted from polite, orderly geese to a full-blown, honking, joyful spectacle. Gus’s willingness to be himself gave them permission to do the same.

And isn’t that the way it works for us, too? The more we lean into who we truly are, the more we attract the right opportunities, the right people, the right energy. We become magnetic when we stop filtering, shrinking, or muting ourselves to fit into spaces never meant for us in the first place. A goose never tries to be a swan. It never worries about being too much or not enough. It knows exactly what it is and owns it fully. What would happen if we did the same?

Geese also understand something deeply important about success…they don’t go it alone, but they also don’t follow blindly. They travel in flocks, supporting one another, taking turns leading when another grows tired. They know that sometimes they need to fly at the front, and other times they need to fall back and let someone else take the lead. There is a natural rhythm to their collaboration, an unspoken understanding that leadership is not about dominance but about shared responsibility. Imagine if we approached business, relationships, and life like that. Finding our people, supporting each other, taking the lead when it’s our turn, and stepping back when we need to recharge. And doing it all without hesitation or ego.

Geese also fiercely defend what matters. Have you ever tried to mess with a goose? It’s not a fight you want to pick. They will chase you down with a level of commitment most humans only dream of. They protect their own with everything they’ve got. And yet, we struggle to defend our time, our energy, and our priorities. We let distractions pull us in a thousand directions. We say yes when we mean no. We let fear of disappointing others override what we know is right for us. Imagine what would change if we guarded our purpose and our passions the way geese guard their nests. Suppose we honked a little louder when something threatened our peace. What would happen if we protected our dreams with the same unwavering commitment?

Perhaps the most powerful lesson of all that geese can teach us is that they adapt. They migrate. They move when the season changes. They do not cling to what isn’t working. Meanwhile, humans tend to stay stuck. Stuck in jobs we hate, relationships that drain us, routines that no longer serve us, all because change is scary. But geese know that staying in a place that no longer provides what they need isn’t an option. They go. They pivot. They trust that what they need exists somewhere else, and they move toward it. We could learn from that. We are not trees, rooted in one place forever. We are meant to move, evolve, and grow. If something isn’t working, we don’t have to force it. We can let go. We can choose differently. We can trust that the next destination will have what we need.

So here’s my call to you today. Unleash your inner feral goose. Life is too short to tiptoe through it like a nervous pigeon. You are not a pigeon. You are a goose—a loud, bold, brilliant goose.

Where in your life do you need to stop hesitating and start honking?

Where do you need to stop waiting for permission and just go for it?

Where do you need to take up space, defend what matters, or migrate toward something better?

Give yourself permission to be loud, take up space, and chase what you want with audacity and joy. If Gus the Goose taught me anything, it is that the best things in life happen when you stop hesitating and start honking.

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