Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown

"Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness." --Brene Brown

I first heard about Brene Brown when I listened to one of her TED talks about shame and vulnerability (find it and listen to it!). I believe that she has several TED talks out there.

I liked this book so much and want you to read it, and I'm so tempted to write out the entire Table of Contents so that you know what it holds. She goes through Ten Guideposts like Authenticity, Self-Compassion, Play and Rest, and Calm and Stillness and what we need to let go of in order to cultivate these qualities in our lives. For example: Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth. How many times have you answered "Busy!" when someone asks how you're doing??

Just the other day as I was finishing up this book, a friend asked me what I did that afternoon. I actually didn't have a very "productive" afternoon in terms of getting any type of work done. However, I napped, took a walk around the neighborhood, did some yoga, and read. And yet, I was tempted to lie and say that I did other more "productive" things. Alas, I remembered what I had been reading in this book and I told the truth...and realized that I had a very nice afternoon of self-care and that's nothing to be embarrassed about!

I recommend this book to you. You need to be in a certain place though in order for it to speak to you. I think there has to be some part of you that is tired of chasing and is ready for change.

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