Yes! Back in 2018 I read the book Daring Greatly by Brenè Brown. This book was a real eye opener for me, and changed my perception of vulnerability and shame. I have never read a book which has impacted my life so much, the research Brenè shared helped me look at my life and values, to help me understand why I was holding myself back.

Reading Daring Greatly gave me the courage to see that I could do more than local web design work, and that I had the skills to work in a larger company. So, I took on vulnerability and applied for a full time job at Automattic as a Happiness Engineer. This was such a big change for me, and not everyone supported the new journey and change I was looking to make.

Daring Greatly (v)

The courage to be vulnerable,
to show up and be seen.
To ask for what you need,
to talk about how you’re feeling,
to have the hard conversations.

Brenè Brown

Looking back now, 5 years later, I don’t regret any bold changes I have made in my life, and I am pleased I stayed on course and didn’t listen to the negative feedback I received.
I love my job!

I still face being vulnerability everyday, as I look for new opportunities to step out of my comfort zone, at work and in my personal life, always with the end goal of living in the present and enjoying life.

Since then I have also read The Gift of Imperfection and Dare to Lead, also by Brenè Brown, these were both good, but if I was to recommend one life changing book, it would be Daring Greatly.

My biggest takeaways from reading Daring Greatly, is that if we embrace all the uncomfortable feelings, and allow ourselves to take on vulnerability, we can take on any challenge, stepping out of our comfort zone, to live a fuller, more meaningful life.