I didn't even know who Ted WAS...But thank you, Ms. Brown, for introducing me...(aka Words to Live By)

We’re all on a path that will lead us to becoming the people we are meant to be.  I’m not sure when we actually BECOME that person, but I am confident that each and every decision, struggle, triumph and stumble is an important part of the trip.

I went with my good friend to the pool last week, and as we soaked up the sun with cool delicious beverages, I read the latest Oprah magazine.  Inside was a powerful interview with a woman named Brene Brown.  While most of you might have heard of her, and of her powerful TED talk, I had not.

But now, oh now I am in awe of this woman, and her aha moment.

She speaks from the heart and lays open her life, her research, her struggle to come to terms with things that she couldn’t understand and her journey to understanding.

 She reminded me that I am enough.

If you haven’t watched the TED talk, do yourself a favor and sit for a quick 20 minutes and listen.

 

Most days I’m proud of the woman I am; most days.  But there are moments, too many to be proud of, that I lay awake at night and doubt myself.  Like an out of control roller coaster my thoughts gather momentum and my brain keeps listing things I’m *@&%ing up.  I toss and turn trying to slow the coaster down; sometimes I win and sometimes I don’t.  Thankfully, exhaustion usually takes over and shuts the track down completely.

But today, after listening to Brene, I am reminded of how truly worthy I am.  The particular qualities that I often doubt are the very ones that make me the person that I am, the person that I have come to love.

Most of my life I have always said that I make mistakes, I own them and I move forward.  In fact many of you know that I try very hard to @(#* up at LEAST once a day, just to keep myself humble. 

I have always taught the children in my class and the children in my home that the only real way to learn is to make mistakes.  The best way to make mistakes is to have the courage to go out there and live life; to try things you haven’t tried, to do things that make you uncomfortable, to change and to take chances.  To be who you are and be brave enough to realize that that is enough!

And now as I dive back into the dating pool I am reminded about one of her most important realizations; the realization that vulnerability is the real birthplace of joy.

Vulnerability.  To let yourself be seen, let your REAL self be seen.  To not be afraid to take a chance, to practice gratitude and joy, to say I love you first, and to love with our whole hearts even though there is no guarantee.

That’s right. 

Even though there is no guarantee.

And so, I am going to remember each day to have courage, take a chance, be grateful and joyful and remember that I am, indeed, enough.