First Post: Daring Greatly

As I am reaching the end of two years of graduate school, I am amazed at not only how quickly the time has passed but how much I have grown. I don't think that I ever could have anticipated just how much of a refiner's fire it would be. Truly, it's been one of the most difficult periods of my life. Just over a year ago, a friend shared with me a TED talk by Brene Brown entitled "The Power of Vulnerability." I don't know if any secular material has ever resonated with me as much as this did. In fact, I would describe the past two years as a knock-down-drag-out-war with vulnerability.

I'll be honest, I don't like vulnerability. I don't like uncertainty and not having the answers. I don't like risking embarrassment. I don't like failing. Unfortunately, life includes all of these things and my attempts at resistance have been rather exhausting.

Instead of resisting, I am learning the hard way that the answer to vulnerability is to let myself be seen, to face the things that scare me instead of numbing or running or blaming, to stop avoiding life or taking risks because I might not excel at something, to make  peace with failure, and to have the courage to be imperfect. Brene Brown calls this kind of living "daring greatly," a phrase spoken first by Teddy Roosevelt:

This blog is dedicated to figuring out how to live a life of vulnerability. I want to live with intention, embracing things that are scary and out of my comfort zone. Vulnerability is hard but it is the the only way to really experience creativity, love, belonging, and peace. I may not do or be anything especially spectacular by the world's standards, but in my own way I can live my life in the arena, trying my best to dare greatly.