Is This What Really Frightens Us?

18 Commentsacts of courage, Belief, coherence, conceptual frameworks, courage, Fear, shame, vulnerability

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt – “Citizenship in a Republic,”Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

This is a very interesting talk.  It’s funny.  It’s sad.  It answered some of my questions about why we do – or don’t do – what we do (or don’t do).

See what you think yourself.

[ted id=1391]

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18 Comments

  2. I like what she shared about “secrecy, silence, and judgment” being necessary in order for shame to exist, and how empathy is the antidote to shame. Of course, I also couldn’t help but recognize that it is most often US who piles on the shame, and stands between our own ability to move past the shame.

    thanks for sharing the video, and the quote.

  3. I tried to watch this this morning as I was getting ready for work. Rather than applying my makeup (light foundation, bright nude lip stick) I wound up bawling f and blowing my nose thirteen times. I couldn’t finish it. I ran out of the house to see my therapist and tried to apply my foundation in the car, at red lights, and then I got into her office and started talking about the video and cried all my makeup off again. Shame. Shame.
    Shame.

    I am so grateful she is talking about this on TED. It was just what I needed to hear today. Thank you so much for posting it. I’ll repost it on my blog too 😉

  5. I am privileged to be followed by, and following, Brene Brown on Twitter and receive many wonderful quotes and links to TED talks and events. To fail spectacularly often opens many doors for others, you know!

  6. I am privileged to be followed by, and following, Brene Brown on Twitter and receive many wonderful quotes and links to TED talks and events. To fail spectacularly often opens many doors for others, you know!

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