Daring Greatly by Brene’ Brown

It’s been a while since I’ve written a personal post of sorts and since the last couple months of my life has been a little consumed with the personal I figured it was time to update you, share what’s been going on and see if I can manage to link it all together with marketing (you know you do the same thing… once you’ve done this online thing long enough you can find how everything in your life ties to your business).

If you haven’t heard of Brene’ Brown yet, you probably will (or have heard someone reference her). I came across her first TED talk about a year ago when someone (er, my therapist) sent me the link. It was on vulnerability. Since then I’ve read her other two books, subscribed to her blog (Ordinary Courage) and went to a book signing in the Bay Area last month for her new book, ‘Daring Greatly’.  And let me tell you, she is just as fabulous in person as she is on screen (in terms of just being absolutely totally REAL!).

I’m a firm believer in the whole philosophy of ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears’ and this is SO true with Brene’ Brown’s work! I’ve spent most of my life coming from a place of “I’ve got it!” Never asking for help, never wanting to need help and trying to do as much as humanly possible all the while being a good mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor- whatever.  Jeeze- just writing that is exhausting! My life is SO very different now.

And it feels better.

Sweeter.

More Gentle.

And the kicker? I still get everything done (of course my ‘everything’ has changed too! I’m so over perfect!).

All of this is because I’ve decided I have the Courage to Show Up!

Show up for myself in ways I never did before.

Tired? I take a nap. Don’t want to go somewhere? I don’t. Don’t want to get involved in other people’s drama? I let them know I can’t do that today (ie, being available to talk about the same thing over and over and over again). Don’t want to work with someone? I say no thank you.

All of this is applicable in your business too.

I’ve been doing this for almost 5 years now (where HAS the time gone?) and have finally hit that place where I trust myself with what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.  I know I can’t do things in any sort of cookie cutter manner. I’m all for using systems and structure, but I can’t change who I am to fit someone else’s idea of what my brand should look like.

And the best part?

Everything works better!

By choosing to be vulnerable in my personal life and business I’ve been able to set better boundaries, take better care of myself and simply be kind.

I’ll wrap this up by sharing why Brene’ Brown titled the book ‘Daring Greatly’, and it is SO very applicable to your business! If you choose to have the courage to show up for yourself you’ll start “Daring Greatly” without even realizing it. The title was was pulled from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt titled “The Man In the Arena”:

[sws_grey_box box_size=”638″] 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. [/sws_grey_box]