Daring Greatly Back to Blogging

Hi, I’m back! It’s been awhile and there is so much to catch up on.  Before I rewind to the beginning of 2012 and recap the good, the bad, the megasimple and the not so megasimple, I’m going to start with a recap of the last week. It was the best week of 2012 so far so it’s a nice happy place to start!The week started with a very quick, but amazing trip to NYC to see a taping of new Katie Couric Show!  Brene Brown was Katie’s guest on the second taping of the show and I’m a big Brene Brown fan so I wrote in and got 2 tickets! I was so nervous to submit my essay, but I finally hit send after thinking about it for a couple hours. The next thing you know my twin sister Emily and I are in NYC for the first time ever! 

I had recently read Brene’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, so I couldn’t wait to hear her speak in person.  Brene researches vulnerability, shame (things we all experience) and wholehearted living.  It’s a book for everyone that I highly recommend! I can’t wait to read her new book, Daring Greatly, which will be released in September.  Here is an excerpt from the book that will give you a sneak peak into things discussed on the show.

“Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage, in a world where “never enough” dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt.  But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous and hurtful as believing that we’re standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to show up and let ourselves be seen.”

Interestingly, the show about vulnerability and daring greatly was in fact a real exercise of these things for both Katie and Brene.  While they are true experts in their respective fields this was a brand new experience for both of them. I think most brand new experiences automatically come with some degree of vulnerability for all of us.  It was only Katie’s second taping and she wasn’t quite used to having a live audience yet and wasn’t sure how to fill the time between segments. Brene was a little nervous too before the show started.  Can you blame her? She was on THE KATIE COURIC SHOW! I can’t imagine being on stage because I was nervous enough just being in the audience. After a couple deep breaths and the cue for cameras to roll, they both were so confident, smart and really funny! I can’t wait to see the show on TV.

It will air September 13th!  You will have to watch because there is more to the show that I don’t want to “give away” here. The experience gets even better. I know…how could it right? 
So, just about a week before we left I got an email that there were extra tickets and they would be offered on a first come first serve basis. I went out on a limb, worked through my fears, exercised vulnerability and contacted a blogger from Brooklyn named Mara. Again, so nervous, but the next thing you know we were all at the Katie Couric Show! It can be crazy what happens when you don’t let your fears control your actions. 

Together, Mara and her husband Danny write A Blog About Love. It’s genuine, honest, uplifting and all about love which is exactly what Mara is like in person.  She is so kind and genuine and truly wants the best for everyone. She talked with us for an hour after the show all about life, love, vulnerability and knowing your own worth. It was a conversation I won’t ever forget. Be sure to read Mara’s recap of her experience at the show and The Fruits of Vulnerability.

I’m officially back to blogging so there will be more to come on our NYC trip and our weekend in Columbus, Ohio at Pelotonia 2012.  This week brought me back to blogging and eventually I’ll post a little about what took me away from blogging which will include stories of life, death and resigning from my job.