Daring Greatly

By Brene Brown

“It is not the critic who counts; nor 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 at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable, or to dare greatly. Whether the arena is a new relationship, an important meeting, our creative process, or a difficult family conversation, we must find the courage to walk into vulnerability and engage with our whole hearts.

In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection.

This was one of the most helpful and insightful reads I had the past year, and I’ve found myself thinking about it with increasing frequency. This is a book about vulnerability. It’s about all the times that we as human beings feel awkward, uncertain, and exposed, and why it stops us in our relationships, our jobs, our lives, and why it shouldn’t. I’m starting to look at my own vulnerability in new ways, and by accepting my own feelings of vulnerability I have had the courage to dare greatly in new ways I never thought I would by being open and honest and realizing that vulnerability is not the same as weakness. This book is amazing at opening your perspective and I can’t recommend it enough to those of you who enjoy taking a deeper look into your lives (you introverts out there are piqued huh?) and finding a braver way to live your life and be happy in your choices.

This gets a 4 out of 5