Daring Greatly

As you can imagine, our lives have changed a lot since Charlotte.  Actually, they changed even before we met her.  Occasionally, I find it easier to talk about what happened and share our story, but more times than not, I find myself worrying over what my words will do to others (make them sad, make them regret they ever asked, etc.) and I get scared to be honest.   To open up.  To be vulnerable.

Enter: Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly.
To be honest, I have been in sort of a slump when it comes to reading books for the last year or so.  

It wasn’t that I wasn't read anything, but lately I was finding myself drawn to shorter stories from real life people (i.e. blogs), instead of long novels or self-help books.  But after receiving strong encouragement to read this book before Calvin arrived, I finally made it a goal & dove in.  And I'm so thankful I did!

I wasn’t expecting this book to speak to me the way it did by any means, but while reading through each chapter, I constantly found myself saying, “me too!” or "oh, that's why that happens", especially when it came to relating to our loss of Charlotte.

Pretty early on in the book, as Brené is introducing her topic and explaining her story, all the doubts on whether this book would be applicable to me were washed away:
 

"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness." (37)

And that's what hooked me.  After saying goodbye to Charlotte, I found myself wanting to talk about her all the time, but the fears of hurting someone or them not understanding seemed to outweigh all desire.  But what I have come to realize is that my story is just that – my story – and sharing it doesn’t make me weak.  It still isn't easy to answer the question, "do you have any kids?" or "is this your first?", but my answer is no longer overshadowed completely by fear.

Whether you're an extrovert or introvert, male or female, I really believe everyone can find something to relate to within this book.  From understanding the opposite sex to raising your children to giving grace to friends & strangers alike, Brené Brown does a great job explaining the importance of vulnerability and how we can use that to our benefit in everyday life.


If you've had a chance to read Daring Greatly, I'd love to hear what you thought and how the book spoke to you.  And to those who haven't read it yet, I'd strongly recommend adding this one to your reading list as soon as possible.


I was not compensated in any way for this review, but just felt called to share my thoughts.