Sarah
The title of this book grabbed my attention at first. It’s such a thought provoking book. Brene Brown wrote this in such a research yet candid way. She presents how vulnerability, contrary to popular belief, is a backbone of what provides the human connection we crave. She explains how so often we perceive our own vulnerability as weakness, but we see it as courage in others.
She titled this book from a speech/quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I had never heard this quote, but I want to make a giant sign of it now! It’s powerful now, and I can only imagine how it sounded to someone who stood nearby as he delivered this speech.
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.
Theodore Roosevelt, Citizenship in a Republic – 1910
I am a recovering (not recovered) perfectionist, and I struggle with self confidence. She hits on these points heavily with her topics throughout the book. I particularly found the section on body image and sex to be enlightening. The story of the research group she tells here is raw and honest. I imagine most people will be able to relate to it. So often we don’t think past our own perception of the moment. We don’t consider that someone else might feel as vulnerable or self conscience as we do, or that their perception of the situation might vary greatly from our own.
While I don’t have any tiny humans, (our kids all have fur or feathers) I found her chapters on parenting so illuminating. As I listened through this chapter, I recalled incidents from childhood that were highlights of so many of the concepts she explained. She even shares a great manifesto she has for raising her own children.
Brene Brown brings life and connection to what at first may sound like and uninteresting topic or line of work, Shame and Vulnerability Researcher, but don’t judge her or this book by that job title. She brings her own experiences as well as those of others that she has interviewed to highlight how putting yourself out there and daring is the way to success. I recommend this book to anyone who struggles with self confidence, wants to start something new in their life, or just finds the psychology of human interaction interesting.
Be the man in the arena, and don’t give a damn about the opinion of anyone who’s not in the arena with you. You are amazing, so go be you while Daring Greatly!
