Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

by Brené Brown

How could I not love a book that starts with the author invoking a couple of my favorite influences –Maya Angelou and Shonda Rhimes? I identified with so much of what Brown had to say in both her thinking and her experiences.

I could identify as a daughter who grew up in a hunting family that put meat on the table; I learned gun safety and how to shoot. I understood, very much, when she described feeling like an outsider her whole life. (Her husband says, “You’re kind of weird. An outlier in a lot of ways.”)

She is delightfully funny, like when she describes doing Soul Sunday with Oprah and Oprah asks whether she wants to meet Maya Angelou. “Tunnel vision. Time slowed down. It’s all too much. Maybe I’m dead.” Or the way she describes the content of our most difficult stories, “I can confidently say that stories of pain and courage almost always include two things: praying and cussing. Sometimes at the exact same time.”

 “…true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

I think most of us struggle with self-acceptance but if we keep pulling out the bits and pieces we like and hold them up to the light, we’ll get there. Personally, I find them and turn them into a poem or story to share.

“Connection to a larger humanity gives people more freedom to express their individuality without fear of jeopardizing belonging.”

I believe in that connection. There is only one race on Earth, the human race. We are all inextricably bound. We all have the same basic needs. If we accept that we belong, no question, than we don’t have to worry about fitting in, and we can just show up as we are.

 “I can only conclude our world is in a collective spiritual crisis.” I believe that a lack of connection is epidemic and may be responsible for a hefty percentage of addiction.

“Mercifully, it will take only a critical mass of people who believe in finding love and connection across difference to change everything.”

This is an overwhelmingly useful and uplifting book about how to bridge that connection gap that we have been experiencing. It shares a wealth of anecdotes, thoughts, and tools that I couldn’t possibly scratch the surface of here. I hope people read it and consider her suggestions thoughtfully.