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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Understanding this has changed me forever.
I watched Brene Brown give a talk at a conference in 2013, and she spoke right to my heart. The topic of her research - a thing I never imagined could actually be "researched" - touched everyone in the audience. I am glad to read this book. I enjoyed the audio narration and would highly recommend it.
Here are my favorite and invaluable takeaways:
1. As Brown says, vulnerability is not weakness but our culture sometimes suggests otherwise. I love how she explains that our only choice is a question of engagement and our choice of engaging with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose.
2. The relationships between fear and disconnect: "The level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnect." This rings true in my life and relationships. She asks us: What price are you paying when you shut down and disengage? And arguing that vulnerability - hard as it may be - is far better than disengagement and disconnection from others.
4. The difference between over-sharing and vulnerability - they are not the same. In fact, she speaks to the dangers of over sharing and how it turns people off, and how we confuse it with vulnerability. She suggests to beware if you are over sharing and making others uncomfortable and then dismissing it as "Oh vulnerability is rubbish and doesn't work!"
5. Measuring shame. Understanding shame. A major part of the book speaks to shame, and how we are a shame-driven culture (I can tell you that the US is not the only one, Iranian culture thrives on shame!!! Argh.) And the consequences of that.
6. The word "whole hearted" and her 10 commandments for living from a place that is whole-hearted:
Cultivating ...
1. Authenticity
2. Self-compassion
3. A resilient spirit
4. Gratitude and joy
5. Intuition and trusting faith
6. Creativity
7. Play and rest
8. Calm and stillness
9. Meaningful work
10. Laughter, song and dance
Some of my favorite quotes from Brown:
- "Whole hearted living is engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness: I am enough, I am brave and worthy of love and belonging. These are irreducible needs for all of us. Absence of love, belonging and connection always leads to suffering."
- "Those who feel lovable simply believe they are worthy of love, belonging and even joy. That's all."
- "A strong belief in our worthiness doesn't just happen. It needs to be practiced."
-"When our self-worth isn't on the line, we are far more likely to share our gifts."
- "We are called to dare greatly every time we make a choice that goes against the social norm."
- "When you turn opportunity for joy to a test drive for despair, you diminish your experience. "
- " You are not what you accomplish or how well you accomplish it."
One point that I did not realize is the depth of information and relevance to parenting and children and teachers and the context of education. While I do not have any children, I still enjoyed and gleaned so much from these sections too.
Brene Brown's work is nothing short of revolutionary. She has brought science and data and both objective and subjective understanding into a topic that before this book seemed so elusive and intangible that even speaking about it felt inaccessible. I love that she has dared so greatly in her own work and to benefit of so many. Read this book, and with it, go where you are afraid to go. You won't regret it!
I watched Brene Brown give a talk at a conference in 2013, and she spoke right to my heart. The topic of her research - a thing I never imagined could actually be "researched" - touched everyone in the audience. I am glad to read this book. I enjoyed the audio narration and would highly recommend it.
Here are my favorite and invaluable takeaways:
1. As Brown says, vulnerability is not weakness but our culture sometimes suggests otherwise. I love how she explains that our only choice is a question of engagement and our choice of engaging with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose.
2. The relationships between fear and disconnect: "The level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnect." This rings true in my life and relationships. She asks us: What price are you paying when you shut down and disengage? And arguing that vulnerability - hard as it may be - is far better than disengagement and disconnection from others.
4. The difference between over-sharing and vulnerability - they are not the same. In fact, she speaks to the dangers of over sharing and how it turns people off, and how we confuse it with vulnerability. She suggests to beware if you are over sharing and making others uncomfortable and then dismissing it as "Oh vulnerability is rubbish and doesn't work!"
5. Measuring shame. Understanding shame. A major part of the book speaks to shame, and how we are a shame-driven culture (I can tell you that the US is not the only one, Iranian culture thrives on shame!!! Argh.) And the consequences of that.
6. The word "whole hearted" and her 10 commandments for living from a place that is whole-hearted:
Cultivating ...
1. Authenticity
2. Self-compassion
3. A resilient spirit
4. Gratitude and joy
5. Intuition and trusting faith
6. Creativity
7. Play and rest
8. Calm and stillness
9. Meaningful work
10. Laughter, song and dance
Some of my favorite quotes from Brown:
- "Whole hearted living is engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness: I am enough, I am brave and worthy of love and belonging. These are irreducible needs for all of us. Absence of love, belonging and connection always leads to suffering."
- "Those who feel lovable simply believe they are worthy of love, belonging and even joy. That's all."
- "A strong belief in our worthiness doesn't just happen. It needs to be practiced."
-"When our self-worth isn't on the line, we are far more likely to share our gifts."
- "We are called to dare greatly every time we make a choice that goes against the social norm."
- "When you turn opportunity for joy to a test drive for despair, you diminish your experience. "
- " You are not what you accomplish or how well you accomplish it."
One point that I did not realize is the depth of information and relevance to parenting and children and teachers and the context of education. While I do not have any children, I still enjoyed and gleaned so much from these sections too.
Brene Brown's work is nothing short of revolutionary. She has brought science and data and both objective and subjective understanding into a topic that before this book seemed so elusive and intangible that even speaking about it felt inaccessible. I love that she has dared so greatly in her own work and to benefit of so many. Read this book, and with it, go where you are afraid to go. You won't regret it!
My only regret is that I haven’t read this one sooner. I’m torn between passing it along to a friend or re-reading it right away!
I love Dr. Brown with all my heart. I’d listened to her podcast though so this was kinda repetitive to that, she’s so awesome and also brought a mutual joy with my farm boss Evan, another conscious legend
informative
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5 - A lot of good thoughts for the parent, student, professional, or person. The audio is good, but I think this one would be best served in a physical format. Probably a lot of notes and underlining.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
It’s one of those books where things may seem obvious, yet still catch you off guard, allowing you to reflect and explore how we handle shame and vulnerability. I enjoyed how Brené Brown has a bit of a sense of humor. That said, the book does feel repetitive at times and leans more into theory and reflection than offering a clear step by step tool. However, if you’re open to doing the internal work, it can be a great nudge to you living more daringly.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
inspiring
medium-paced