Book Review- Rising Strong by Brené Brown

 

Reckoning

Rumble

Revolution

This book is my second read by the author, Brené Brown. She is an expert in talking about emotions and vulnerability with a grit that I definitely re-felt empowered. Written in a storytelling style from her own life, she shows that consistency in emotions is yet another key to great leadership.

The book primarily argues that the willingness to show up and be seen, with no guarantee of outcome, is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. Living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.

As we recognise the power of emotions, somehow we are not afraid to lean into discomfort.

Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing amid struggle is where our courage is tested, and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague or missing a deadline at work.

Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives.

Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It is the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are through her own developed processes, like Permission Slips, SFD (Shitty First Drafts), Sewer Rats, and Scofflaws, etc.


I shall conclude this book as “Transformative”. This book is a way to handle the emotions that come up in life. A deeply relevant read for times like ours—when every opinion feels cross-examined and self-doubt sits loudly in the front row.


Quotes from the book-

“You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness."

“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They're compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”

“We don't have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.”

“How can we expect people to put value on our work when we don't value ourselves enough to set and hold uncomfortable boundaries?”

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.”