I'm typing this as I listen to this week's Pod Club pick from the show Risk. It's not holding my attention as much as usual because I have too much going on inside my brain. The stories are comical personal experiences which can only be background entertainment for me today. It doesn't help that two days ago I asked Jill if she felt like doing a little Pod Club "Extra Credit" with me by listening to another podcast from On Being.
Okay, you know what? I just stopped the Risk episode with 20 minutes left to go. My head is not in the frame of mind to appreciate any more stories that involve bathrooms. Sorry Risk!
Wednesday morning I realized Brene Brown was a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, On Being. I've watched her TED talks on vulnerability and shame before so I was excited to hear a longer conversation with her. As the conversation unfolded, I found myself mentally highlighting every word out of her mouth to remember later. Please take an hour to change your life by listening to this episode. I can't even begin to explain how insightful and brilliant Brene is.
I've wasted so much of my life feeling as though I don't deserve to be happy. Ms. Brown defines this feeling that we aren't worthy of love and belonging as shame. In the last few months I've already started to see that my behavior, my productivity, my failures and accomplishments do not define who I am. While listening, I could feel some of the loose feelings and ideas in the back of my mind start to click into place with the glue of her words. I don't want to give it all away, and I don't think I can properly explain what I feel so I'll give you a few of the things that really jumped out as applicable to my life and let you discover as you listen in your own time.
~ Shame is the feeling that we are unworthy of love and belonging.
~ Love and belonging should be non-negotiable regardless of failures.
~ We tend to focus on the behavior rather than who we are.
~ Productivity does not equal self worth.
~ The shame trigger for creativity is comparison.
~ Wholehearted people show up in their lives every day without any guarantees.
~ Uncertainty, risk and fear of exposure lead to vulnerability.
~ Vulnerability leads to the courage to show up and be seen in our lives.
~ Our willingness to be brokenhearted is equal to our ability to be wholehearted beings.
~ Courage is born completely from vulnerability.
~ Hope is a function of struggle.
Pod Club is a weekly meeting of ears and the brains between those ears. Join Jill and myself every monday as we pick an episode for the week and meet back at the end of the week to post our thoughts. The lovely Leah at Soft Spiral always has beautiful things to say too. Join us by listening and thinking and possibly commenting on our blogs or posting on your own!
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