Daring Greatly

"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 nor defeat.”  Teddy Roosevelt

To say I am a fan of Brene Brown would be an understatement.  I have read all of her books, watched every TED talk, taken her online courses and religiously follow anything and everything she puts out into the world.  I am beyond a fan!  If I could chose a mentor, it would be Brene Brown.  

I share the quote above because her best selling book Daring Greatly is based on this quote by Teddy Roosevelt.  Brene Brown is a researcher who has studied shame and vulnerability for years.  Her perspective on vulnerability has changed my life.  I had so many “ah hah” moments personally when I read the book and have incorporated several concepts into my counseling work.

My favorite take away is the idea that vulnerability is actually a place of great joy.  Being vulnerable and exposing yourself to those that deserve to know you can produce such positive growth and connection.  To make a difference in someone’s life, we must be authentic and being authentic means showing others our true self.  People love “real” people – we are drawn to them.

I would highly recommend reading Brene’s book but if you want a quick synopsis of her work, Brene’s TED talk is fabulous! https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability