On Vulnerability - Brene Brown, will you go to the prom with me?

I am having a bit of a love affair with Brene Brown, who is a researcher into vulnerability & shame. More fun than it sounds, believe it or not!  I first came across her work when I saw a talk she gave at TEDx Houston (here ) which resonated incredibly strongly with me. 

Her basic thesis is:

• We all feel shame
• No-one talks about it
• Fear of feeling shame leads us to avoid living whole-hearted lives.
• Developing courage to step out, despite that fear, is the key to a whole-hearted life.

I raced out and bought her book, "The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be, and Embrace Who You Are" which has led me in all sorts of amazing directions, including putting me onto the research into play.

Brene Brown expected that her TEDx talk might garner a few hundred views. There were many, many millions. She has just delivered a follow-up talk at the main TED event, here. I highly recommend that you take the 20 minutes to watch this talk. It is amazingly powerful and moving. Also funny.

Enjoy.

Right. Back in Action.

Well, didn't those months just fly by.

Updates:

1. Alcohol Free Year.

I did indeed stay off the drink for 2011. It was surprisingly easy. I was talking with a friend the other day who mentioned that it must have taken enormous determination, but it really didn't. The key was in just deciding - really deciding - to do it. Then, decision made, no inner turmoil. A lesson I will be taking to other arenas of life, no doubt.

2. New Coaching Program

I launched a phone coaching program, Get Unstuck. This is especially for people who, by all appearances, are doing well in their careers but who are secretly unhappy and wondering:

"Is this all there is?"

Because it's by phone, it works really well for people because they don't have to get time away from the office or explain who they're meeting. I've been helping some really great people, including in countries outside Australia - so that has been fantastic. If you'd like to find out more, you can take a look at the website or drop me a line.

3. Resilience work.

I've been doing more and more work with The Resilience Institute and this has been fantastic. In particular, we've been working with lots of legal teams and financial services organisations, bringing them the science and latest thinking on how to feel great, focused and perform well. And maybe even enjoy it - perhaps flourish??

4. Art & Science of Human Potential

This is my daily e-newspaper and it has been steadily gathering readers. It's a great way to connect with likeminded, interesting people and get a cross-section of ideas in areas like wellbeing, health, fitness and resilience.

5. Writing!

My new hot topic is PLAY and I have been busily sharing my ideas and the great work of researcher Stuart Brown. If you're interested, check them out:

The Importance of Playing - on Flying Solo

Perfectionism & Play - Resilience newsletter 

Why It's Essential to Play - Mortgage Professional Australia magazine

So... happy to be back in the Living Room! Very glad to have you here.

Are you in denial about feedback?

My latest article is up on Flying Solo today - about how to get honest feedback, and why you need it. Enjoy, and let me know what you'd add or change to make it better!