Brene Brown
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Fearless living
“I want to be brave with my life. When we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” ~Brene Brown, Daring Greatly I never wanted to be a professional actor, but I don’t regret a minute of the time I spent in the performing arts. When I was a kid, I acted, danced, and sang (badly) in dramas and musicals. I was, as my parents liked to say, “an incorrigible ham.” But just as my folks had hoped, the performing arts gave me confidence. By…
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Wilderness survival
“There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’” ~Brene Brown Today’s quote reminds me of the time I quit my office job in reference book publishing to start freelance writing at home. In those days, working from home wasn’t as common, so my decision felt risky (and lonely) at first. It took time to establish a new routine and get…
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Building better boundaries
“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love and respect ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” ~Brene Brown All of us need boundaries. While social connection is essential to our well-being, there are times when we have to draw an invisible line between ourselves and others. This can be a challenge, especially in a tell-all culture that’s become addicted to social media and digital devices. Boundaries help us define our limits and foster emotional balance. Offline and online, healthy boundaries show others that we won’t accept cruel or careless treatment, dishonesty, insults, inflammatory gossip, or other signs of disrespect. We need boundaries to maintain family harmony and…
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Confessions of a recovering perfectionist
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.” ~Anne Lamott I ordered the garden plaque as soon as I saw it in a mail-order catalog. Crafted from terra cotta, it announces in bold letters: EMBRACE IMPERFECTION. Today the plaque hangs on a brick wall just outside my garden room window, where I can view its reassuring message every day. Come to think of it, I should have ordered duplicates to use as decorative reminders throughout the house. I’ve battled perfectionism most of my life. My finely honed nit-picking skills — inherited from my mother — serve me…
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Be vulnerable
“To believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees – these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain. But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace.” ~Brene Brown Photo by Cindy La Ferle
