I discovered another Brene Brown book I didn’t know about yesterday: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t): Making the Journey from “What Will People Think?” to ” I am Enough”. A long title and subtitle but flicking through it I just had to buy it.

I turned to a page that caught my attention and this is what Brene had written:

Reaching Out: When it comes to my personal struggles with appearance, family, parenting, motherhood and work, I’m one hundred per cent dependent on my connection network. I depend on them for advice, guidance, support, feedback, validation, praise and sometimes I need them for plain old handholding or babysitting.

I’ve worked very hard to build this network – it’s now big and strong. I also depend on these people to lean on me. I know it sounds funny, but I want to be in relationships that work both ways. Receiving empathy is a wonderful gift, but so is offering it. Both giving and receiving make me a better person and help increase my shame resilience.

I can so relate to the last sentence because one of my major struggles in life is the act of receiving. I am one of the great givers and am regularly acknowledged for it, I have been given the title in my community of a beautiful man. I was recently acknowledged by my community to the tune of being gifted over $2000 to help replace my computer that was damaged by my English student. It involved over a hundred people saying to me you are enough and donating money. It wasn’t about the money to me but the act of people saying we love you and taking an action to express it.

So what ways does society have in place for people to reach out to each other, here are a few:

1. At every moment in your day, there is an opportunity to do this. We walk through a world where we know so little about each other.

 

2. Time to access your inner child. Remember when we were young and asking for things wasn’t a problem. We may not have got what we wanted every time, but we bravely asked anyway: Why.

3. At the height of my Mental Health journey, I often forgot the first line of this mantra, so accessing the second and third were virtually impossible.

4. An athlete who broke down the walls of racism in an international sport, I imagine there was a lot of light and shadow in his journey to achieve it:

5. My life became a lot more joyful when I realised that the access to it lay in giving to others as well as myself.

6. One of the great sages of our time. Why do we need Aristotle when we have a wise, cuddly bear: My Heart Will Go On.

7. Heads or Tails?

8. But It’s also useful to use some discernment, as the only person who can really rescue someone lives in our mirrors: How To Save A Life.

9. Sometimes no answer, no words is the answer that is required when you reach out.

10. I have become officially self-employed recently. I am finding more and more that until I reach out that very little success will come my way: Girl On Fire.

 

11. And who does not want the divine reaching out to them?

12. I was about to choose Pharrell’s Happy when this song came up on Youtube: Can’t Stop The Feeling.

13. This image makes me think of the saying Power To The People, let us be one of them.

14. This is what my world paradigm: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included is based on: True Colours.

15. And for the final comment, I go to one of my top ten, Maya Angelou. Our society seems to have forgotten the power of a loving touch.

In her TED talks on vulnerability, Brene speaks about the power of speaking shame is learning to express how we feel and ask for what we need, Then I would say I am getting better at it. I recommend buying and reading Brene’s book, it will move you a fair way down the track.

Today’s playlist has a bit of good old rock and some beautiful musical songs in it. Pop diva Sabrina Carpenter starts us off, Linkin Park rocks it up next. The Celine Dion displays her incredible range, then back to some rock with The Fray, A great women’s anthem from Alicia Keys ending with two numbers from The Trolls animated movie. Here is the link for your enjoyment: Prometheus Is Reaching Out For The Stars.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.