Are you a Brené Brown fan? She may not be for everyone, but she is amazing at breaking down the human condition - especially when it comes to shame and vulnerability - her life's work. Hubby Bill and I are big fans of her work, own and read almost all of her books, and viewed her TED talks a few times over. Our favorite, The Power of Vulnerability (and her most famous) TED talk is this one
However, my all-time favorite book by Brené Brown is Daring Greatly. I've read it at least three times. There are go-to passages that speak to me, almost personally (great writer she is!). Daring greatly is about being vulnerable, living wholeheartedly, and showing up as our authentic selves in the face of uncertainty, doubt, and not knowing. It's courageously loving and being loved and putting ourselves and our creations out there despite the risk of rejection.
When I began writing The Focused Fight, you can bet, besides not knowing what the heck I was doing initially, that I was in a pretty vulnerable state to share the story that had been percolating in my heart and soul for over 20 years. The fact Bill and I joined a writing community in June 2020 when the whole world was in lockdown helped move the writing thing forward above my wildest dreams. While still vulnerable, her book provided the strength I needed to work through all those emotions and feelings.
Ms. Brown's most recent book, Atlas of the Heart, explores eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. We all experience the 87 emotions, maybe even more. The chart below reveals all 87 that wanted to share her expertise all in one place, if you will.
I love how Brené uses The Man in the Arena quote (Teddy Roosevelt) in a lot of her work:
“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.… —Theodore Roosevelt”
bSoleille!
Terri