Speaker, author, and research professor, Brené Brown, in her latest book, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, tells the story of her heart-crushing experience as a young teen of not making the drill team at her new high school. She knew the routine perfectly and did a great job at the auditions, but she wasn't picked and she was devastated.
Can you relate to this story? Can you think of a time in your life that you had your heart set on something you REALLY, REALLY wanted, to have that dream shattered because you didn't make the team, or the grade?
Brown goes on to say the absolutely worst part about her experience was that her parents didn't say a word when they drove home. They didn't comfort her or say she was courageous for trying; they all rode home in silence. What she really wanted was for her parents to say how terrible it was and that she deserved to be picked. This was a defining moment in her life; she felt she didn't belong anywhere, even in her own family. Dr. Brown says that the quest for belonging is a primal need for us as human beings, and our family is the most important sense of belonging we need. She explores how we can love ourselves, with vulnerability and honesty, even in the face of injustice and pain, and find our true sense of belonging.
Here are a few questions I'm taking away from this powerful story:
Can you relate to this story? Can you think of a time in your life that you had your heart set on something you REALLY, REALLY wanted, to have that dream shattered because you didn't make the team, or the grade?
Brown goes on to say the absolutely worst part about her experience was that her parents didn't say a word when they drove home. They didn't comfort her or say she was courageous for trying; they all rode home in silence. What she really wanted was for her parents to say how terrible it was and that she deserved to be picked. This was a defining moment in her life; she felt she didn't belong anywhere, even in her own family. Dr. Brown says that the quest for belonging is a primal need for us as human beings, and our family is the most important sense of belonging we need. She explores how we can love ourselves, with vulnerability and honesty, even in the face of injustice and pain, and find our true sense of belonging.
Here are a few questions I'm taking away from this powerful story:
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