Stumbling Tongues

When we think of the word courage, we think of bravery and heroism, strong action in the face of fear. But that’s not what the word originally meant:

“The root of the word courage is cor — the Latin word for heart… Courage originally meant to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” (B. Brown)

Telling your story is just as important as living your story.

Today, I’m feeling inspired by this video:

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“Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.

You’ve got to find what you love… Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to do what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle.

If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

If you haven’t already seen it, watch this talk from TEDxHouston. So good!

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Brené Brown: “The Power of Vulnerability” | TEDx

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“Vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, but… it’s also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love.”

“People who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe they are worthy of love and belonging.”

“In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen.”

Lots of great stuff here!

P.S. Brené’s TED talk has gotten a lot of attention online. If you loved it and are looking for more inspiration, you might also enjoy watching this lecture Brené gave at The UP Experience (2009). I think it’s just as good, if not better, than the TED one. Enjoy!

I’m excited to be participating in the Winter Dream Lab (an offshoot of the popular Mondo Beyondo course), beginning this week.

Mondo Beyondo has been on my wishlist for ages, but I’d never gotten around to signing up. (Blame it on that wretched “someday” syndrome—you know, “I’ll get around to doing this someday…”) But when I heard about the 8-week Winter Dream Lab they’re doing in collaboration with Brené Brown, I knew it was time to stop procrastinating and go for it.

The class is based on Brené’s latest book: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.

If that book title isn’t a call to a new way of living for the new year, then I don’t know what is! And as someone who struggles desperately with perfectionism, I knew I had to give this class a try.

I’ve known of Brené Brown ever since stumbling across her blog, Ordinary Courage, more than a year ago. But it wasn’t until recently, when I watched one of her lectures on the power of vulnerability, that I realized: this is exactly what I need.

Brené is a writer and researcher studying the topics of vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She’s written two books and is a gifted speaker and presenter.

She’s now using her decade of research to explore a new concept called “Wholeheartedness.” Here’s how she explains it in the book:

Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

You are enough.

Say it. Believe it. Be kind to yourself. Love who you are, right now. No matter what imperfections you’re struggling with or what changes you’re trying to make, you are enough right now just as you are.

* * *

Learn more about Mondo Beyondo & Dream Lab.

Learn more about Brené Brown’s work.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” —Anais Nin

{ “Flower buds in soft focus” –  Photo credit: Qi Wei Fong via CC by 2.0 license }

It’s mid-November, and we’ve spent the last few weeks “winterizing” the garden and the house. It hasn’t snowed yet where I live, though the northern part of the state has already been blanketed. Soon it will be time for holiday decorations and family gatherings. Thanksgiving. Christmas. My favorite parts of the year.

But today is bright and clear, and from my cozy perch inside, with the warmth of the sun beating through the windows and the tiny specks of green still peeking out from the garden, it might as well be spring.

So just for today, I’m dreaming of flowers.

The early-spring bulbs have all been planted, ready for their long winter sleep. Did you know that some buds can survive the winter too? “They can be in a resting state, lying dormant over winter or when conditions are dry, and then commence growth when conditions become suitable. Before they start growing into stem, leaves, or flowers, the buds are said to be in an embryonic state.”

And so it is with us. . . We too face unfavorable times for growth and harsh winters of creative drought. We blossom and grow in fits and starts. Sometimes quick and brilliant. Sometimes slow and awkward

But we carry within us, always, our dreams and ideas — a spark of life, of creativity — and if we are patient and attentive and brave, we too will be ready to bloom when the time is right.

{ Photo credit: John Morgan via CC by 2.0 license }

“The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don’t flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on the brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing.”

—Galway Kinnell, from the poem “Saint Francis and the Sow”

Thanks to the Lil Bee’s Stimulus Package, I’ve been reading stories similar to mine: unemployed and looking for direction, inspiration.

Today’s post from guest blogger Monica really hit home for me:

“I couldn’t see it then that the decision was the right one. In the months after I quit, I kept second-guessing myself and I longed for a steady schedule to keep me focused. I had those days that I thought quitting was the worst thing I ever did, those days where I wondered if I had lost all reason and sense. It seemed to me that all that inspiration that had motivated me to plunge into a new career feet-first had disappeared into thin air and I had no idea where it had gone. I wondered where that strong, smart and focused person went, the one who made it through law school, the bar exam and life in a big firm. I felt lost and I found myself wiling away the hours at home and feeling completely unproductive.”

Wow. How well do I know that feeling!

I vacillate daily between giddy anticipation of the creative fulfillment that potentially awaits and the sheer guilt/anxiety inspired by empty days spent wondering why I ever thought I’d be able to cut it out here on my own.

The thought “What is wrong with me?!” runs so often through my mind that it may be working its way out of my brain to brand itself on my forehead.

I struggle to find the motivation with no corporate schedule (and hello–accountability!) to keep me focused. And more than that, I lack direction. With a sea of endless possibilities before me and the freedom to choose whatever course I want, I am completely overwhelmed!

Since quitting my job, I’ve felt my world shrink around me. I never knew how much I could miss interacting with other human beings! (How very sad and pathetic does that sound?!) It’s hard to write about anything, no matter how mundane, when entire days can go by without my leaving home, without my speaking to anyone but my husband. It can be achingly lonely, in fact.

Well, Monica’s escape from the habit of inaction started simply enough: She started walking. Every morning. With her camera.

I’ll admit that is perhaps the last thing I want to do on a day like this in the midst of a bitter Iowa winter (40 below wind chills! Seriously, Mother Nature. We need to have a talk.)

Still, I can appreciate the lesson of Monica’s daily walks.  It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Finding yourself on a corner you’ve never been before. Catching unexpected moments by surprise. Creating an adventure in the midst of the everyday.

I crave newness like this! Which is part of the reason that I’ve started making plans for re-expanding the boundaries of my little life.

Riding the trolley across downtown to the Central Library? Check.

Signing up to volunteer as an adult literacy tutor? Check.

Friday matinées at Fleur Cinema? Check.

Looking for a nearby church choir to join? Check.

I’m a sucker for karaoke. My favorite song used to be Nancy Sinatra‘s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin,” and it’s been stuck in my head all day. I’m fairly certain I will sing it to myself all the way to the Central Library tomorrow.

And I’ll be wearing my big, warm, ugly hiking boots (pictured above). Having backpacked across Europe twice in these puppies, I can vouch that they are suitable for adventuring and more well-traveled than many Americans… So now I have no excuse. The boots are ready. Am I?

Are you?

Go forth and explore! How will you create an adventure today?