Daring Greatly…
Oh the joy’s of a broken laptop! When you’re a writer, being without your laptop is TORTURE… Seriously! Although I do still love pen to paper but writing a blog on an Ipad is just not the same, hence the length of time since my last post.
I’m sure I have spoken before about my deep love for Oprah, my soul sister as I like to call her. I wanted to start this year fresh with no self brought on stress but starting a new career has kind of deterred that from happening, only natural I guess. Not too long ago, while watching Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday (the name speaks for itself, it’s a must watch) I remembered I had bought a book a couple years back that I saw mentioned on one of Oprah’s book club episodes. It’s called ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown. If you haven’t read any of my blogs before, I am not very good at being vulnerable. Which I have learned, most people aren’t. Well actually i’m terrible at it! I am one of those people that think being vulnerable is weak and I do not do weakness well!! Reading makes me Zen, yes I said Zen, so as I started getting a little down with not knowing everything at work, missing my friends and family and just generally not feeling like myself, I decided to finally read Daring Greatly since it’s classified a self help book. I’m all about therapy, self help and any tool that can make life for us humans easier. I’m still in the midst of reading it, but I wanted to shed some light on the novel. Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She has studied courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy for the past sixteen years. She has one of the top five viewed Ted talks, called ‘The Power of Vulnerability’. Seeing that she’s a vulnerability expert, I had to read this acclaimed book which mainly focuses on vulnerability and every emotion that comes along with it. Brene talks about her personal experiences with vulnerability, how she was just like me and thought it meant you were weak. She talks about how being vulnerable can not be avoided, it’s what life is about. Love, career, parenting, friendships, life experiences.. they all have one thing in common, you NEED to be vulnerable. When I think of that word it makes me uneasy, it feels dark and gloomy but as i’m reading her book she makes me realize it’s actually means being courageous. Putting yourself out there with a partner, a new job, your feelings, something you’re fearful of, what people will think of you, that’s what vulnerability is. The exposure of failing or being hurt, but we can’t do things without that risk. That’s life! To make a long story short and to not give away too much of the book for those who are going to read it, ‘Daring Greatly’ is actually putting vulnerability into layman’s terms for us. Not that we’re unintelligent but I am definitely not an emotions researcher like Brene Brown. It’s all about getting into the ring, putting yourself out there despite how beat up you will get. It’s about enjoying the ride, even if there is possibility of failure. In her book she talks about others who she has researched and it’s comforting to know how many people are in the same boat. We all have a fear of something but do we want those fears to stop us from living life how we want to and being our true selves. It’s been quite a while that I have been working on this vulnerability stuff, well for years I was avoiding it but i’m now trying harder, since we can’t live a good life without being vulnerable… That’s all we can do really, try, and if you don’t succeed try, try again! Wish me luck!!
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat!” -Theodore Roosevelt
Peace, Love & dare greatly xoxo