Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

We often get stuck in repeating patterns of behavior in life whether we like it or not. This might be procrastination, getting in arguments with family, or any number of other patterns. In her book Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Dr. Brene Brown explains the power of “resetting” to break free from these patterns, and offers a three-step method to successfully “reset” one’s life and “rise strong” in the face of any challenge, demonstrating how embracing vulnerability is essential to living an honest and meaningful life.

Brown begins by emphasizing the importance of “resetting” after a fall, which she defines as when “we feel defeated and depleted”. She encourages her readers to view this as an opportunity to grow, rather than an obstacle to avoid, in order to discover a new way of rising. Brown suggests that this is a result of how we process our emotions, and teaches readers to use the so-called “Rising Strong Process” consisting of three simple steps: rumble, reconstruct, and rise.

Brown starts the “Rumble” step by teaching the concept of “the story”, which applies to any situation in a person’s life and expresses the emotions, beliefs, and values someone has about an experience. Brown recommends that readers reflect on their feelings and inconsistencies with the story in order to be true to themselves and find direction and clarity. This is followed by “reconstructing”, which is the process of identifying the storytellers’ truth, seeking and accepting truth from others, and rewriting the story from different perspectives.

Finally, Brown outlines the importance of “rising”, in other words learning from the story and finding a new way to carry on. It is in this step that Brown focuses on the importance of embracing vulnerability, which she calls “the divine source of courage.” She emphasizes the power of processing difficult emotions and being true to one’s own story by learning to accept help, viewing mistakes as a form of learning, and tapping into one’s own intuition and creativity to make different choices. She concludes by stating that the power of risking, learning, and growing by “rising strong” is immense and can be a transformative experience.

Rising Strong is a powerful book, featuring inspirational stories and practical advice on how to reset and create a meaningful life full of courage, honesty, and vulnerability. Throughout the book, Brown emphasizes the importance of resilience and developing a deep self-awareness. She encourages readers to embrace the struggles of life and use them as an opportunity to reset, reconstruct, and rise stronger than ever. Those looking for a guide to rewrite their story and rise strong in any situation should definitely read this book as it is a perfect reflection of Brene Brown’s knowledge and experience with vulnerability, courage, and resilience.