Thursday, October 1, 2015

An Invitation To Wholeheartedness- October 1

  It escapes my memory where I first heard of Brené Brown. It was likely her famous TED Talk. Her disarming honesty made a deep impression. But, she truly had my attention when she quoted a book of common prayer in her church about giving God our whole heart. Secretly I had yearned after that but always found myself falling short. There are hints in the Sermon On The Mount and in the words of the prophets but I seemed to lack the understanding I needed to put my feet firmly on the path of the open heart.

    "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart."
     Psalms 119:2


    Dr. Brown had the vocabulary I understood to explain the common place fears and anxieties of the closed and protected heart. Her stories resonated with truth and I recognized myself in the experiences she shared. She brought me hope through the stories of a group of people who she named "the wholehearted". Being a researcher in the social sciences she interviewed hundreds of people and gathered their stories. The stories were then sorted according to similarities and differences. As she interviewed people about shame and fear she became aware of a group who seemed to weather adversities better than other groups. They were not shielded from suffering and misfortune but seemed to have characteristics that made them more resilient. These she called the wholehearted and to her dismay she, herself, did not share many of their qualities. This group had, among their characteristics, the ability to remain vulnerable. So new data was collected. Now, if you don't want to talk about shame and fear, vulnerability isn't a better subject. Vulnerability research made stepping into the arena of life a more daring endeavor. In my reading she encouraged me to keep showing up and and now in Rising Strong the conversation is about getting up even when we fail.
         
   "The contribution I hope to make is to put language around the process (of rising strong), to bring into our awareness some of the issues that we may need to grapple with if we want to rise strong, and to simply let people know they are not alone."
                                      Brené Brown



I am joining Kate Motaung and others who are writing every day in October. My intention is to record my reactions and feelings about Brené Brown's newest book, "Rising Strong". You can find the other posts I have written here.

6 comments:

  1. Loved your first post and am very much looking forward to travelling these 31 days with you and Brene. The last words of the last line brought a tear to my eye..."...to simply let people know they are not alone"....

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    1. Helen, I believe we are not alone, but, it can feel so desperately lonely when we walk through the dark. It makes me feel stronger writing about the process. It makes me feel stronger hearing your point of view.

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  2. Watching the TED talk was worth whatever else you share the next 31 days. Looking forward to reading your posts this month. I just put the book on hold I'm #75 and there are only 3 copies, but I'll wait patiently. My I have a BSW, so she fascinates me.

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    1. Christy, I wish I could lend you my copy. There are more interviews out there worth listening to. Try U-Tube.

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  3. I love this and am so deeply thankful for the work of Brene Brown. It has changed and continues to change me. I am halfway through listening to Rising Strong on audiobook and have gone through her Udemy video course on The Power of Vulnerability. So SO good. Thank you for this series. Write on sister! This is a beautiful and a very needed reflection for us all. xoxo

    OH!! And if anyone wants an audiobook download of Brene's book for FREE they can sign up for a 30-day free trial and download it today. The trial can be canceled anytime and they still get to keep the book! It would be a great way to get Rising Strong... (mudstories book dot com) This is a promotional deal I have with audible that also helps support my podcast. Just wanted to offer it if anyone wanted to read Rising Strong..hope that's ok. xoxo

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  4. Thanks, Jacque. I hope others passing through here will take advantage of that audiobook offer.

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