One of the surprise highlights of the Global Leadership Summit for me was the talk by Dr. Brene Brown titled Daring Greatly.
Brene Brown has done groundbreaking researcher into the topics of shame, worthiness and courage. She’s not only an insightful researcher but a fascinating story teller.
So, when I heard her TED talk The Power of Vulnerability had been viewed more than 10 million times and propelled her onto the national stage, I had to check it out. It did not disappoint. I’ve included it below. It’s 20 minutes long but worth every minute!
One of the key insights from Brene’s talk is this:
Vulnerability is the core of shame, fear & our struggle for worthiness, but also the birthplace of joy, belonging & love. -Brene Brown
(Feel free retweet that)
Essentially, vulnerability is emotional and relational risk.
And as we know… nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Brene’s talk caused me to realize I’ve been playing it safe emotionally and relationally. I’ve been guarded with others. I’ve intentionally avoided topics that are risky yet meaningful. I’ve waited for others to initiate rather than taking the initiative. And as a result, I am not experiencing the fullness, the depth, and the number of meaningful relationships I could be.
I’m inspired to be more vulnerable and take more initiative.
How about you? What do you think of the video? Are you ready to risk vulnerability for the reward of joy, belonging and love?
You think of confidence, guilt, fear, shame, I could go on but my point is you tend to forget about vulnerability. Vulnerability should be important to consider about other people more often than not. Thank you for bringing this information to the front of everyones thoughts. Thank You for Sharing
Thanks again Paul. I agree to Liz, and thanks for sharing this article.
That was awesome, thank you!
This post and Dr. Brene Brown’s TED talk are catalysts for breakthroughs … LOVE them both and just want to say thank you for sharing!
Thanks Kendra! Glad to hear they were so impactful for you.
I spend a lot of time considering these issues and truly enjoyed the video!
I would dare say that 98% of our society is, in fact, wallowing in vulnerability of one sort or another throughout their adult lifetime. Accepting that vulnerability, and coming to terms with it openly and honestly shouldn’t be as difficult as it is. It seems our primal instinct to be part of a “tribe”, for lack of a better word, is one of the root causes of the insurmountable polarity that exists in today’s world. As a people we are constantly finding ourselves at opposite ends of the spectrum with regard to politics, theology, psychology,and social issues of all sorts. Rather than seeking a “middle ground” we tend to blame, shame, criticize, and lambast those who don’t parrot the same views and opinions we have …
It’s difficult to come to terms with our vulnerability, and be authentically ourselves, when so many are so willing to beat us down with shame, ridicule, and guilt in their attempts to manipulate others and promote their own point of view.
Some purport that the answer to this dilemma is to simply not allow these manipulators and naysayers into our sphere of influence. A tough proposition … there are so many that display this trait to one degree or another, and in our society we don’t have total control of who is and isn’t in our lives.
Whatever the answer is to this challenge, I feel it lies uniquely within each individual … there is no new paradigm shift on the horizon that will make it “all better” and go away.
I currently struggle with finding a way to impart an objective awareness of this, and similar issues, to my 10 year old …
WOW … didn’t mean to go on and on!
Thanks for sharing!
Rick, I think you make a great point that there are many polarizing groups and leaders today who use their authority to exploit people’s need to belong. They essentially say if you don’t believe and do X, Y and Z you’re not one of us, not welcome here. They may think they’re creating unity, but ultimately they’re undermining authenticity and vulnerability.
It takes a lot of courage in those circumstances to say, “Here’s is who I really am whether you accept me or not.” But if we don’t if we don’t do that, we may be living a lie.
Very nice, people need to get back to basic humanity.
I love her, she is always so very inspiring. And telling all of our stories is so important!
Awesome video, I really like the way how she talk about various things.
Great insights in this Video. Thanks for sharing Paul
Kind regards from Germany
Hansjörg
thanks for sharing this inspiring video!!
This is one very inspiring video. I really learned a lot. Thank you so much for sharing this.