Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.

by Brené Brown

On a one-inch-by-one-inch square of paper, I want you to write down the names of the people who really matter. This is a sacred little space. If you have more names than can fit on a square this size, you need to edit. These should be the people who love you not despite your imperfections and vulnerabilities, but because of them. When you’re facedown in the arena, these are the folks who will pick you up and confirm that the fall totally sucked, then remind you that you’re brave and they’ll be there to dust you off the next time. You should also include the people who are brave enough to say “I disagree” or “I think you’re wrong,” and who will question you when they see you acting outside of your values. I carry my square in my wallet. That way when I’m trying to hack into the back end of Amazon to find the IP address of the jerk who left the hurtful review about me and not the book, I can catch myself. Yes, this hurts. But he’s not on my list. When I’m struggling to make a difficult decision, rather than closing my eyes and trying to imagine how the cheap seats will respond, I go to someone on my list who will hold me accountable to my own standards.