Daring Greatly: Post #1--Overview

Overview. Teddy Roosevelt’s speech, “The Man in the Arena,” talks about the critic and the man fighting in the arena and how ‘daring greatly’ beats back the voice of the critic—our  inner voice. By ‘daring greatly’ we dare to try, fail and try again; we beat back the inner critic—shame—our own personal gremlin that says, I’m not {smart, attractive, lovable, worthy…} enough. On the other hand, wholehearted people are willing to try—to be vulnerable, to live life with courage, connection to others, and compassion. Brene Brown teaches us that to be vulnerable is not weakness but courage—‘daring greatly’ in the arena of life. “Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center of meaningful human experiences.” If we’re not willing to be vulnerable or to fail, we’ll never learn, create, or innovate.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way we Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Gotham Books, 2012) by Brene Brown, reviewed by Steve Gladis, July 2014