Daring Greatly

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Leadby Brené BrownThis is the third book by Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work. What is unique about Professor Brown is that she researches and talks about shame, which everyone has but no one wants to discuss. Brené shows you how to overcome "the scarcity mentality" of never feeling good enough, build up your shame resilience, and take down the vulnerability armor. She makes a strong case that shame keeps us small, resentful and afraid; whereas when you come from a place of worthiness, you are inspired to be vulnerable, share openly, be creative, and persevere. The book's focus is on how to live a Wholehearted life, which she defined in my last month's recommended reading, The Gifts of Imperfection. She deals with the challenges that women face - they are expected to look and be perfect; and that men face - they are afraid to fail or appear weak. Brené provides tactics to combat shame, which include the simple steps of awareness, reaching out, and speaking about shame to others you trust. She also provides guidelines for building shame resilient organizations and families.  This is an excellent read for anyone who wants to live a happy and successful life and be a leader or innovator.