Before you read BlogHer’s latest book selection, ‘Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead’ I encourage you to watch this video.
In the video, the author of ‘Daring Greatly’ discusses her research on vulnerability to a live audience of 500 people at TEDxHouston. She references this speech multiple times throughout her book, but it provides a good summary of where her story will lead you.
Dr. Brown describes vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.” Throughout her research Dr. Brown finds people who refer to vulnerability as being naked when everyone else is clothed. It is something most of us try to avoid for fear of mockery and humiliation.
The funny thing is when asked about vulnerability people say it is the last thing they want someone to see in them, but the first thing they want to see in another person. It’s what makes us genuine and real. When people show vulnerability we immediately feel connected and close to them, but we are frightened that people might judge us for being vulnerable and view us as weak and unworthy.
Dr. Brown’s book breaks down her research in an effort to show why we should embrace our vulnerabilities. How it helps us to live a genuine life that is true to ourselves and to those around us. That living the model life of what people expect, (perfect family, perfect mother, perfectly thin, perfectly beautiful), should not be our goal, but rather to embrace the truth about ourselves and thus become more strongly connected to the people around us.
I found the chapter on wholehearted parenting extremely enlightening. It’s a very interesting book that opened my eyes up to the way in which we are raised and the way in which we raise our children. Even if you don’t buy the book, definitely check out the videos on Ted.com and elsewhere on the Internet. You’ll learn quite a lot about Dr. Brown’s research by watching them.
Note: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.