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Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by
Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages us to dare greatly: to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit ...more
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit ...more
Hardcover, 287 pages
Published
September 11th 2012
by Avery
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Teddy Roosevelt is spinning in his grave if he can hear how his famous quote about "daring greatly" has been turned into sappy psychobabble.
The main theme of the book is "shame." To the author, this is a fundamentally bad thing, even though she acknowledges that shameless people are sociopaths. She also makes the claim that shame has never been shown to be helpful. Actually, there is research suggesting that shame-based societies have less crime and mental illness than societies that are more i ...more
The main theme of the book is "shame." To the author, this is a fundamentally bad thing, even though she acknowledges that shameless people are sociopaths. She also makes the claim that shame has never been shown to be helpful. Actually, there is research suggesting that shame-based societies have less crime and mental illness than societies that are more i ...more

Feb 19, 2013
Cecily
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Cecily by:
Everyone
This book came highly recommended by seemingly the entire internet, and the concept was one I'm VERY familiar with. I'd watched a couple of Brene Brown's TED talks and I was impressed with the topic of her research and with how long and how thoroughly she's been researching.
Oh yeah, and I also remembered that I am the most sewn up and invulnerable control freak that I know. It's been something I'm aware of, and I wasn't always this way. But I know it's keeping me from joy and love in a lot of a ...more
Oh yeah, and I also remembered that I am the most sewn up and invulnerable control freak that I know. It's been something I'm aware of, and I wasn't always this way. But I know it's keeping me from joy and love in a lot of a ...more

"For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is "I didn't get enough sleep." The next one is "I don't have enough time." Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of... Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we're already inadequate, already be
...more

I usually don't bother writing reviews for books I can't finish. And usually I give the book a fair chance -- say, at least 100 pages -- before giving up. Some books I even read all the way to the end before wishing I could just get my time back.
In this case, I read an interview with the author in O Magazine, and the interview was so interesting that I immediately requested this book from the library.
Well, once the book arrived, I quickly discovered that I had trouble following even the introdu ...more
In this case, I read an interview with the author in O Magazine, and the interview was so interesting that I immediately requested this book from the library.
Well, once the book arrived, I quickly discovered that I had trouble following even the introdu ...more

Mar 10, 2013
Kelly
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
started-but-didn-t-finish
The premise of this book rocked, and I was very interested in learning more about how to be more vulnerable and dare to do more things. However, the book was written completely in generalities. I need to hear the details of your research, the way you helped clients overcome their problems with vulnerability, facts, and stories. I need concrete advice and concrete science. Couldn't finish this fluffy-ass book.

Do you want to change the world?
Do you want to have more powerful interpersonal relationships?
Do you want to explore into your own soul
to make sense of your life?
Do you want to live whole-hearted?
Do you want to rid yourself from shame?
Do you want to understand men and women better?
Do you want to give your heart a hug?
I thought I would do something different this time and give you a list of questions for this book review. This book is so jam-packed with the "hard stuff" that I don't even want to ...more
Do you want to have more powerful interpersonal relationships?
Do you want to explore into your own soul
to make sense of your life?
Do you want to live whole-hearted?
Do you want to rid yourself from shame?
Do you want to understand men and women better?
Do you want to give your heart a hug?
I thought I would do something different this time and give you a list of questions for this book review. This book is so jam-packed with the "hard stuff" that I don't even want to ...more

Daring Greatly was not what I expected it to be instead it gave me a very different outlook to vulnerability and a new understanding of what it means to engage with our vulnerability, understand how shame and shaming others affects us, how to combat shame, and being vulnerable for the sake of making real connections with people. Not only has it helped me understand my vulnerability but understand other people’s vulnerability and understand scarcity and how wholeheartedness can affect us.
I highl ...more
I highl ...more

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. It came so highly recommended, and it started off so well. The first chapter was spectacular--I found myself nodding along to just about everything: feeling vulnerable, a culture of scarcity, the new economy, etc. This book was speaking to me. My fears, my anxieties, my worries. And I hoped Brown would be the person to help guide me through it all.
But no.
The book promptly went downhill--and fast. Instead of direction and guidance, we get narrati ...more
But no.
The book promptly went downhill--and fast. Instead of direction and guidance, we get narrati ...more

This book was recommended on a blog that I follow by a person whose thinking somewhat mirrors mine. She recommended it in a big way, so I was anxious to read it. And I'm feeling odd about not giving it a higher rating, because I think it probably deserves one. I'm giving it three stars not because I have issues with the content (exactly) or with the writing, but because the subject matter is old hat to me.
Ms. Brown is fairly well known as a speaker and writer on the subject of 'shame' and how it ...more
Ms. Brown is fairly well known as a speaker and writer on the subject of 'shame' and how it ...more

I feel like I'm pretty late to the game when it comes to reading Brené Brown, but I'm so glad I finally got around to it. She's a thoughtful and compassionate researcher who is able to imbue her work with personal experiences while still maintaining objectivity. It's definitely not a book, or type of book, I'd think to pick up (shoutout to the folks who suggested it to me!) because it's a subject matter I'd generally rather listen to a podcast about or watch an interview/conversation. However, t
...more

Daring Greatly is dense with information on how to combat shame and become vulnerable, authentic, and courageous - not just in romantic relationships, but at work and with your children as well. I have always struggled with vulnerability, but Brown makes a very convincing case as to why it is so important - we can't live fully and wholeheartedly without it. I look forward to implementing some of her strategies, and I am sure that I will be revisiting often. Really a must read for anyone who feel
...more

I picked up Daring Greatly after watching Brene Brown's amazing TED Talk on the power of vulnerability. I find it fascinating that someone can conduct research centered on human topics such as shame, vulnerability, connection, and happiness. When I first entered college I possessed the notion that research was something done with test tubes and beakers in the back of a laboratory, but Brown's work shows that in-depth research can apply to anyone, inside or outside of academia.
The quality of Brow ...more
The quality of Brow ...more

Brene Brown is fabulous, and I’m so happy I finally got to read this book. I started reading one of her other books, one that was more specifically about her research around shame, and it wasn’t what I needed to be reading then. This, though, was what I needed. She still talks a lot about shame and about fear, and it’s in ways that are relevant for me in my day-to-day life and my work.
One of my favorite parts is her discussion of how over-sharing is not the same as vulnerability. That’s so impo ...more
One of my favorite parts is her discussion of how over-sharing is not the same as vulnerability. That’s so impo ...more

Okay so this author uses Harry Potter, fellow TED favorite Ken Robinson, Top Gun, Teddy Roosevelt, John Gottman, and even The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin... How could I not like this book with all those references to items I like? Yet, she bases this book around solid research and combines together her own personal stories in the right moments to demonstrate her thesis.
Daring greatly... A phrase she has used from Roosevelt.... She writes, "everything I've learned from over a decade of re ...more
Daring greatly... A phrase she has used from Roosevelt.... She writes, "everything I've learned from over a decade of re ...more

4.5*
I read a memoir recently that discussed the importance of connecting with people, being vulnerable, and feeling gratitude. I’ve also read books about how childhood trauma and events shape the way we are, how we act/react, and how we think. The concepts in this book are not new, but some of Brené’s findings from her twelve year's of research are, and the way she communications her findings are eye-opening and thought changing. I found myself re-reading many of the passages because they were s ...more
I read a memoir recently that discussed the importance of connecting with people, being vulnerable, and feeling gratitude. I’ve also read books about how childhood trauma and events shape the way we are, how we act/react, and how we think. The concepts in this book are not new, but some of Brené’s findings from her twelve year's of research are, and the way she communications her findings are eye-opening and thought changing. I found myself re-reading many of the passages because they were s ...more

Sep 10, 2013
Patricia
is currently reading it
These are my favorite parts of this book:
"Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging." (p. 10)
"When it comes to paren ...more
"Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging." (p. 10)
"When it comes to paren ...more

This was a great book - one of the better books of this type that I've read. There were some really great thoughts that will change me. Even with all the analysis and tools, I still struggle with how to actually make vulnerability happen in my own life. Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena ...more
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena ...more

I did it again with this book: I pretty much dog-earred every other page! Something I'm working on in 2016 is scaling back with this technique, especially when I have a tendency to abuse it. But dang it all if Brene's insights weren't so great in this (my first read of hers) that I couldn't help myself. I'll share some of my favorites below, but overall a few thoughts:
1) Brene's writing grew on me--I've read enough about her to know she feels her strength is as a researcher, less as a writer. In ...more
1) Brene's writing grew on me--I've read enough about her to know she feels her strength is as a researcher, less as a writer. In ...more

I feel like it was beautiful serendipity that I stumbled upon Daring Greatly. After reading an interview with Brené Brown someone had posted on Facebook and then finally watching her TED talks on vulnerability and shame (another colleague had recommended TED.com to me a couple years ago, and I'm just now getting on that beautiful train), I knew I had to get my hands on this book.
Three days later I carried the book in my hand. Three days after that I had devoured it. It turns out that these had ...more
Three days later I carried the book in my hand. Three days after that I had devoured it. It turns out that these had ...more

آسيبي كه راز نگه داشتن يك اتفاق بد يا شرم آور به سلامت روان وارد مي كنه از خود اون اتفاق به مراتب شديدتر هست. نوشتن اون راز و افكارمون در موردش به ازبين بردن اثرات منفيش بسيار بسيار كمك مي كنه.
When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make.
Perfect ...more
When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make.
Perfect ...more

Every single day we face the decision to be vulnerable or dare greatly. Brown uses the book as a medium to explain how we can take shame and vulnerability and exchange them for meaning and purpose in our lives. There aren't really any step-by-step instructions so much as a thought process that needs to be changed in the way we think and approach circumstances.
The book is going to really fly off the shelves for those who have a need for change in their lives or enjoy reading self-help books. It i ...more
The book is going to really fly off the shelves for those who have a need for change in their lives or enjoy reading self-help books. It i ...more

#mystrangereading Daring Greatly by Brené Brown ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Y'all. I don't think that I will have the correct words to express how incredible this read is, but I'm going to try. Brown is a shame and vulnerability researcher and expert. This book is such a powerful read that speaks to men and women alike. It speaks to the quiet voices and 'gremlins' in our heads who whisper that we aren't enough, and the truth that she shares silences these lies if we are willing to embrace it and dare greatly. I liste
...more

So I'm pretty pleased to have started my '2018 self development challenge' with an utterly captivating, thought-provoking, soul-searching, five-star read.
This book is just so damn relevant .
We all experience shame and vulnerability.
That seems like such an obvious concept but it took reading this book for me to properly understand that. I'm going to get pretty real here: I struggle a lot with feeling like I'm not worthy, or like I'm not good enough because I can't keep up with peers in certain ...more
This book is just so damn relevant .
We all experience shame and vulnerability.
That seems like such an obvious concept but it took reading this book for me to properly understand that. I'm going to get pretty real here: I struggle a lot with feeling like I'm not worthy, or like I'm not good enough because I can't keep up with peers in certain ...more

Wow, what a book! The title comes from an amazing quote by Theodore Roosevelt encouraging us all to give things our best shot("...the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...")
The basic thesis is that in order to live our best lives, we need to be vulnerable: to go all out in ...more
The basic thesis is that in order to live our best lives, we need to be vulnerable: to go all out in ...more

I was almost resolved not to read this because I first learned about it from an Oprah magazine interview. The fact that the author is a shame and vulnerability researcher weren't selling points because it sounded like it would be a self help book that would provoke so many uncomfortable feelings inside. Want to feel vulnerable? Want to feel shame? Not really, not today.
But once I chose to read it, I saw that the author was pointing to a broader definition of vulnerability, one that encompasses b ...more
But once I chose to read it, I saw that the author was pointing to a broader definition of vulnerability, one that encompasses b ...more

I'm torn about the value of this book. I have been a Brene Brown fan for quite some time as an online course I teach for another university requires students to watch her TED talk on vulnerability. It has moved me on several levels. My favorite quote is that vulnerability is the birthplace of joy. This book dives deeper into the issues behind vulnerability, namely shame and guilt. Hence, the book is actually quite difficult to read. It's a bit dark in places with light at the end of the tunnel.
...more

Daring Greatly presents a strong case for making one's self more vulnerable, which the author would define as showing up and letting one's self be seen--being the man in the arena from the Teddy Roosevelt speech from which the book takes its name. Brown's writing style is knowledgeable, but straightforward, just like her TED talks. Just like those talks, this book gave me a lot of terrific things to think about: the relationship between vulnerability and trust, the importance of boundaries and h
...more

If you're already familiar with Brené Brown's popular TED talk, Daring Greatly follows much in the same vein.
I wasn't familiar with her work, and expected this book to contain practical insights into creativity, innovation, and risk-taking. But instead it remained wholly in the territory of Brown's academic research on shame and vulnerability.
Brown's work is interesting, but not at all what I'd intended to read. With a giant pile of TBR books waiting on my nightstand, my time spent on this book ...more
I wasn't familiar with her work, and expected this book to contain practical insights into creativity, innovation, and risk-taking. But instead it remained wholly in the territory of Brown's academic research on shame and vulnerability.
Brown's work is interesting, but not at all what I'd intended to read. With a giant pile of TBR books waiting on my nightstand, my time spent on this book ...more
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Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.
She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wildern ...more
She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wildern ...more
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“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
—
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“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”
—
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