Book Review: Daring Greatly
How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We
Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brene Brown
The above quote comes from a well-known speech by Theodore Roosevelt entitled "Citizenship in a Republic" that he gave in April 1910. Daring Greatly opens with this portion of the speech and, according to Brene, this defines vulnerability.
I've been hearing her name and seeing her work pop up all around me for quite some time. Brene Brown. Several of her books have looked appealing to me and I've added them to my reading list.... for later. So, what made me pick up this one, this summer?
Well, I think it was just a coming together of a lot of little things. I've been working through The Daring Way curriculum with my therapist. What a great opportunity! I highly suggest you take it if you're given the chance. Then, I saw that Mike was reading this book and a few months ago he gave me a copy of Brene's Parenting Manifesto.
With my primary roles of Mother, Spiritual Leader, and Coach, I need to learn all that I can about how to be an effective leader in today's culture. This book speaks right to the heart of what I do everyday and how I encourage my clients, children, and followers to show up in the world.
Brief Overview: Brene takes all that she's learned about vulnerability and shame, uncovers and explains how that affects our lives and the ways we interact with others, and gives direction for how to be authentic and real (in a world of social media, pretenses, and high stakes).
Here’s what I liked and appreciated about the book:
Brene acknowledges the difficulty of being YOURSELF openly in the world.
There are compelling reasons for being brave enough to try and guidelines for doing so.
It's extremely relevant to every day life and relationships. This book relates to every aspect of life and career--from the stay at home mom to the corporate CEO to the retired golfer--anyone that takes their responsibility to lead seriously.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars, It was a fairly easy read, but I was not much in a reading mood when I read this book (maybe because of summer time...) and it took me much longer than usual. If I was in a better mood, it may have ranked as a 5 star book--just a bit of honesty there. ?
My next move: To continue to put myself out there in personal relationships, in my ministry, and in my coaching business. To be brave with who GOD created me to be and live Wholeheartedly.
Wholehearted Living = engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.