Notes on Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

A while ago, a coach and some other books I had read recommended to me Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brené Brown. I recently finished reading it and thought it was very interesting. I enjoyed a lot of the stories within it and the details of the scientific approach the author took in her research.

The big lesson is that vulnerability combined with self-acceptance and belief that you're worthy are critical for connection and in many parts of life (work, family, parenting, etc.). This is an important lesson for any leader or parent.

Below are some of my notes and takeaways.

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The man in the arena
Vulnerability

Intro
Cultivate authenticity and let go of what people think
Cultivate self compassion and let go of perfectionism
Cultivate resilient spirit and let go of helplessness
Cultivate gratitude and joy and let go of scarcity 
Cultivate intuition and faith and let go of fear of uncertainty 
Cultivate creativity and let go of comparison
Cultivate play and rest and let go of exhaustion and productivity as status symbol
Cultivate calm and stillness and let go of anxiety as lifestyle 
Cultivate work and let go of self doubt
Cultivate laughter song and dance and let go of being cool and in control
Connection is key
Feeling lovable and worthy of love
Belief in worthiness 
Connection
Courage compassion connection
Being vulnerable

1 scarcity
Narcissism through lens of vulnerability
Comparing and ranking 

2 debunking vulnerability myths
Myth 1 Vulnerability is weakness
Myth 2 I don’t do vulnerability
Myth 3 vulnerability is letting it all hang out
Ask for support

3 understanding and combating shame
Defense against the dark arts
Feeling unlovable
Shame resilience
Self compassion
Recognizing shame
Practicing awareness
Reaching out
Speaking about shame
Writing and sharing helps

4 vulnerability armory
Masks and armor
Enough mandate
Put away armor
Believe you’re enough
Joy comes in ordinary moments
Be grateful for what you have
Don’t squander joy

5 mind the gap
Strategy vs culture

6 disruptive engagement
Giving constructive feedback
Sitting on same side of table

7 wholehearted parenting
Accept self
Let kids struggle