BOLDNESS + BRAVERY Page 6 of 18

The heart of everything: following the Zambezi from source to Victoria Falls

Posted on 2016-01-12 at 8:55 am.

This is a guest post from Claire Le Hur who is cycling to China with her fiancé Stuart Block. The couple will start their journey in East Africa where they will follow new ‘silk roads’ charting the journey of key natural resources as part of an exciting new education project. Claire will be riding a bamboo bike, built by an African social enterprise and Stuart will ride a tandem, keeping the back seat free for those they meet en route. They will also be raising money and awareness for two great educational charities. Find out more about Claire’s big adventure here.

African Houses, jumpstarting planes, sable darting, meeting chiefs, elephants, waterfalls, schools and plenty more cycling… our six weeks in Zambia have certainly been eventful. This is what we have been up to…

Heading down the dirt track to the small town of Kapishya

As we headed south towards the Copperbelt we took a 45km detour down a rough dirt track to Kapishya Hot Springs where we camped for a few nights. The hot springs were just what we needed after several tough days of cycling. Owners Mark and Mell Harvey were great fun, and proved generous hosts serving us lots of lovely food and we were fascinated to hear more about the history of Mark’s family….

About 20km from Kapishya is Shiwa Ngandu (the famous big Africa House from the book by Christina Lamb) which Mark’s elder brother, Charlie, runs. Their grandfather, Sir Stewart Gore-Browne, walked from Ndola in 1914, and loved the area so much found the money to build his dream house: an English country mansion in the middle of the African bush. He was a fascinating man and while not without his flaws (the locals called him “Chipembele” meaning Rhinocerous!) he did an enormous amount for the area, establishing a miniature ‘welfare state’ and helping Zambia become one of the only African countries to achieve peaceful independence. He was also the only white man to have had a state funeral at which President Kenneth Kaunda spoke. His eldest daughter, Lorna, married John Harvey and raised their family in the same house. Tragically in 1992 Lorna and John Harvey were murdered during a robbery. The Harveys do much for the local community. As well as setting up the primary school they organise the hydro power plant and help out whenever anyone is ill/injured. They are very proud of their Zambian roots yet they can’t help but worry about what the future holds. Shiwa Ngandu is an idyllic place, but it’s very remote (it’s 30km to the nearest proper road and 100km to the nearest town), and Mark and Charlie can’t keep the house going forever. We hope something will work out as history like this shouldn’t be forgotten.

We had a great time in The small town of Kapishya

After our 10 days with the Beyond Ourselves we headed to Lusaka where we were hosted by Dan Rea and his parents, Harold and Mary. The Reas are a very interesting family who came to Zambia over 100 years ago as missionaries. We spent the weekend with Dan and any weekend which starts with the question ‘can you jump start a plane?’ is going to be interesting! After a little stop on the runway of Lusaka International Airport we jump started the tiny Cessna and set off to the North West corner of Zambia.

On arrival we joined a trip into the local game park to dart some sable (or antelope) so they could be transported to another park. Getting up close to such beautiful animals was awe-inspiring, especially when one had not been sedated enough so fought back, almost goring a man with his huge horns.

Transporting sable to another park

After this Dan took us to meet Chieftainess Ikelenge. We followed tradition kneeling and clapping at her gate and then waiting to be introduced and asked to sit.

Stuart and I meeting Chieftainess Ikelenge

Later we spent time at Dan’s rock crushing plant, hydro power station and pineapple dryer. The weekend ended with a visit to the source of the Zambezi where our guide told us that the local name of the River Yambezhi means ‘heart of everything’. It’s a very fitting description as there was little water at the source and it seemed bizarre that this would turn into the awesome Victoria falls we would see two weeks later.

The Zambezi source

We had a few days ’off’ in Lusaka where we spoke at the American School. Their grade three pupil’s are working on a project called ‘Ordinary People Making a Difference’ and their teacher, Melanie, was granted a day off to cycle out of Lusaka with us the following week. Our day cycling towards Kafue National Park was great fun. Melanie, Dan, and Harold were asking us to take it in turns to drive/cycle for 110km until we met the truck sent to drive us safely though the park to their camp. We were relieved to get into the truck, especially when we saw two buffalo, a huge bull elephant and a herd of while dogs by the roadside!

Our good friend Dr Max Graham, who runs Space for Giants in Kenya, introduced us to Sport Beattie, CEO of Game Rangers International who invited us to his camp in Kafue and suggested we ride the truck to Livingstone, following the Zambezi – a route that twice as long but far more interesting. We visited their elephant orphanage at Lilayi first and then headed to the park. We found Game Rangers International’s focus on the human element of anti poaching very inspiring and were impressed by the work they do with the local communities and schools. We spoke at one of the schools and all the teachers had a ride on our tandem, Thandie.

Getting up close to the elephants

After sneaking in a game drive we left the park and headed to Mongu, the Western capital. In just one day we had cycled 70km, got a bus which broke down, and then got a ride on a Cassava/Maize truck!

For the next 500km to Livingstone, it was just Stu and me on the road. The flood plains and Zambezi got increasingly bigger and the scenery was beautiful. We had several great nights camping right on the river bank. Luckily we didn’t see any crocs although the hippo noises took some getting used to!

The sunset over Zambezi

We spent two nights by the stunning Ngonye Falls, wonderful waterfalls which would attract more tourists if it weren’t for their bigger sister, Victoria 300km away. This leg of the trip was a great warm up for our weekend in Livingstone where we enjoyed doing the touristy bit before heading into Zimbabwe.

At the top of Victoria Falls

Happy L.E.A.P. year! Free mini e-course to kick start your year!

Posted on 2016-01-04 at 5:19 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Happy new year! In case you hadn’t noticed, 2016 isn’t just any year, it’s a Leap Year, so it’s extra special.

These days we all complain about not having enough time to do the things we want, but as this is a leap year we all have a whole extra day to play with, and we can use the concept of ‘leaping’ to inspire us all year long. What will you do with your 2016?

Now the new year is here and things already feel different. Calmer, more relaxed, full of promise. Personally I have a major change to make this year, from business owner to writer (more on that soon I promise, it’s very exciting!) Given the time of year, I am sure you have also been thinking about changes you can make in your life. Well I have some good news for you my friend…

To help you make the most of it, and commit to at least one important change, we have designed a 10-part mini e-course called L.E.A.P. to help you find the courage, dedication and focus to make a major leap this year. It is FREE – our gift to you as we begin this new year. I hope it will help you get your closer to doing what you love, for life. Sign up here and begin today!

What’s it all about?

In this very simple FREE ten-part mini course, we offer you a fun new way to make any kind of important change in your life. This could be something small but important, like a new way of nourishing yourself, or something major like quitting your job and changing career. Sometimes we can get so caught up with thinking about the thing we want to change, and so hung up on what might happen if we make the change, that we go round and round in circles and never actually get anywhere. (Sound familiar? We’ve all been there!) This mini series offers you a whole new perspective—or set of lenses—through which to view your opportunity and make decisions to help you make that change, whatever it may be. Try it, it might just work for you!

How it works

Once you have registered here, each day for ten days we will send you a short email introducing the next step in the process. Each day will focus on a different ‘career’ to use as your lens through which to view the opportunity and challenges. So for example, day one is all about seeing your challenge through the eyes of a doctor (not suggesting you consider becoming a doctor, but rather considering the qualities and characteristics of a doctor, and how they might approach a given problem).

Each day you will be given details of the step you are on, a new lens through which to view your challenge or the change you want to make, and a simple exercise to do, or question to answer, to help you move forward. By the end of the ten days you should have made a major psychological shift towards making a specific change in your life, and hopefully will have taken action in the right direction.

Sound good? Sign up now and begin today. It’s free, so what are you waiting for?

I am using this very course to make my own big change—from happy blogger to professional writer—and I cannot wait to see what change you decide to commit to with L.E.A.P. Be sure to let me know on Facebook or Twitter!

Happy leaping, and a very happy 2016,

Beth and the DWYL team

PS Still not spent any time looking back over the past year and designing your ideal 2016? Our free toolkit New Year’s Revolution is fully updated for 2016 and waiting for you to download now. Mr K and I spent several happy hours in a coffee shop working through it together, and it has become the basis for all we plan to focus on in 2016.

PPS If you feel like you need a real helping hand with making major shifts this year, finding your passion and strategising how to do what you love every day, join us for the next Do What You Love e-course. The course begins on January 18, and won’t run again until the end of the year, so if you want a structured five week programme to help you make major changes this year, don’t miss it. Register here.

Happy New Year! Make this the year you do what you love

Posted on 2016-01-03 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

What is it you really want? The courage to start a new career? The time to pursue passions and hobbies? The freedom to travel and have big adventures? Or simply to “feel differently” about your life, just as it is? All of those wants — and so many others — stem from one big desire… The desire to do what you love.

And if that’s what you want, you’ve arrived in the best possible place you can be. This is your launchpad — and this is your community. And the Do What You Love e-course might just change your life.

Do What You Love is about re-opening doors that you thought were locked shut… re-opening possibilities that you thought were long gone… and illuminating possibilities you never knew existed.

If you find yourself thinking things like: “I can’t afford to _______” … or “I’m too old to _______” … or “I’m going to need years of training before I can _______” … or “It’s just not realistic for me to _______”… or “But what if ______”, Do What You Love will show you that all of your options are still open, no matter what your current circumstances and responsibilities may be.

Inside this course possibility is your new reality.

Make this year the year you start doing what you love. Find out more or register HERE.

Are you up for a Christmas microadventure?

Posted on 2015-12-15 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

Over the past few summers I have been trying to rally people to tackle a summer solstice micro adventure. It has been a pleasant success, with loads of people heading for the hills. This year lots of people have been tackling a microadventure each month as part of the Year of Microadventure Challenge. Setting the idea as a challenge was a great way of galvanising people to action. People who quite liked the idea of sleeping on a hill but would not ordinarily do it were motivated to get outdoors and try something new.

So here is a challenge for you: a winter solstice microadventure…

The 21st December is the shortest day of the year. The day is short, the night is long. But if the weather is fresh and clear this can be a beautiful season. The sun lies low in the sky, backlighting or silhouetting the world beautifully. And the night is cold and long, filled with stars and the greedy knowledge that you own this night while everyone else is tucked up indoors frittering their lives in front of X-Factor Xmas Specials. You are out there, beneath the glory of the heavens (and – perhaps – freezing your arse off wishing you were back home in front of the telly).

Most people have a chunk of time off somewhere between now and early January. Why not spend one of those nights out on a local microadventure? Head out of town with a friend or two. Climb a hill. Crack open a box of 50%-reduced mince pies and a few beers. Earn your Christmas Dinner. Work off your Christmas Dinner. Do whatever you like. But why not try to squeeze one last night in the wild into these last few nights of the year? Reflect on the year just passed, scheme for the year ahead.

Have a look at this video – it might spark an idea.

A Winter Microadventure: Cycle to the Sea from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

If you decide to do a winter microadventure, pop your pics and stories on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Make sure to use the #microadventure hashtag to share your story with everyone else. Have a look here to see what everyone else has been up to.

I’ve done this for the past few winters, and here’s how I spent one evening: not exactly suffering – there was even bacon!

So, please, do consider a night under the stars this Christmas time. It’s entirely compatible with nights out at the pub or friends’ houses. It’s compatible with getting home for a full day of putting up the Christmas decorations. It’s so easy to do, but so memorable, refreshing and fun! Work out where you need to be to see the sunrise (use this great link). Tell somebody where you are going and when you’ll be back. And then go!

The Challenge Rules

Go sleep outdoors somewhere – a garden, a hill, a forest, a beach
Do it solo, with friends, family, work colleagues, or an old flame
Put your photos online (#microadventure hashtag on Twitter or Instagram; Facebook Microadventure page here)
Deadline for you to complete your challenge is bedtime on Sunday, January 3

Here’s the stuff you’ll need, complete with links to help you if you need more information:

Sleeping bag: Don’t buy anything special. Just go with what you have and add as many jumpers as necessary.
Sleeping mat: If you suspect you will not do a lot of camping just buy one of these cheap ones. Really makes a difference to your warmth in winter.
Bivvy bag: There are cheap, medium and expensive options. This explains everything you need to know. If you’re worried about rain take a basha too.
Woolly hat: Santa hats get bonus points.
Waterproof clothes
Warm clothes: Christmas jumpers get bonus points.
Torch
Toothbrush: put the toothpaste on at home and wrap the brush in cling film.
Toilet paper
Food and water
Mince pie & Whisky.

How to make hard choices

Posted on 2015-11-27 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Here’s a talk that could literally change your life. Which career should I pursue? Should I break up — or get married?! Where should I live? Big decisions like these can be agonisingly difficult. But that’s because we think about them the wrong way, says philosopher Ruth Chang. Chang believes that hard choices are a godsend because they give us the power to create reasons for us to live the life we want. To become distinctive. And to become the author of our own destiny.

In this insightful TED Talk on decision-making and the human condition, Chang looks at how we exercise our freedom through the choices we make. She explores the relationship between reason and value, looks at how we navigate ourselves through the sea of pros and cons and offers a powerful new framework for defining who we truly are. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

What hard choices have you faced in the past? What did you do? What tips/techniques worked well? What hard decisions are you facing at the moment? Which choice will you make?

Replace fear with curiosity

Posted on 2015-11-20 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

As anyone who’s done it knows, discovering your life’s purpose and getting on the path to doing what you love is the most incredible feeling in the world. It’s exciting, exhilarating and energising but at the same time there’s an element of fear that comes with jumping into the unknown.

You might know what you should be doing (taking brave steps forward and embracing a whole new world and everything in it) but feel afraid to act because making such bold decisions or big life changes seems risky. What if you lose what you already have by walking this new path?

Before you know it the internal conflict between what you truly want and what you already have is spiralling out of control and you find yourself stuck. Frozen by fear.

Whenever you your mind starts ruling your heart, it can help to remind yourself why you went looking for your true passion in the first place. Why is pursuing a life with meaning important to you? How did you feel when you were lost; wandering aimlessly through life? Would you really be happy doing something that doesn’t matter to you? What do you really have to lose by taking this new path? Then ask yourself:

What is the best that can happen?
What is the worst that can happen?
What will happen if I do nothing and everything stays the same?

As Alan Watts says: “By replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity we open ourselves up to an infinite stream of possibility. We can let fear rule our lives or we can become childlike with curiosity, pushing our boundaries, leaping out of our comfort zones, and accepting what life puts before us.”

Sometimes the only way to overcome your fear of unknown is to take the first step and do something. Turn your fear into curiosity. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“You’re already naked, so there is no reason why you don’t follow your heart.” ~ Steve Jobs

Is something stopping you from following your dreams? Do you want to make changes but find the process daunting? Is fear holding you back? Think about it… what are you afraid of that you should be curious about instead?

Top 10 ways to say no and save time

Posted on 2015-11-17 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by one of the UK’s leading experts in digital distraction and digital detox and author of The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World, Frances Booth. Find out more about Frances here.

One time management technique we don’t use enough is simply saying no. We’re quick to say yes, giving away our time, then we wonder why we have no time left for what we want.

If you find your diary is full, or full of things you don’t want to do, then it’s time to start saying no – nicely.

People ask for our time every single day. And if we give our time away to everyone who asks for it, we end up feeling frazzled, tired and grumpy. Often it doesn’t occur to us that we have the option to simply say no.

It’s much rarer for someone to thank us for our time. But when they do, it reminds us that our time is valuable, and we need to learn to value it too.

Learning when and how to say no is a way of valuing and managing our time.

When we say no to one thing, in effect we’re also saying yes to something else. This might be yes to time to recharge, sleep and renew our energy. It might be yes to some thinking space. It might be yes to more time for ourselves, or yes to time for the people and things that matter to us.

Here are 10 key things to think about for when the answer needs to be no.

1. Something has to give

We can’t say yes to every invitation, request, message, question or demand we get – something has to give. So what should we say no to?

Look at what or who you’re saying yes to at the minute. What or who (including yourself) does that mean you are then you saying no to? Is your diary full of things that fill you with great anticipation? If not, how can you make it so? What do you need to start saying no to? Look at how you spend your time, including time online. Are you happy with what you are saying yes to by how you spend your time?

2. Instant answer

Often we make poor decisions when we’re distracted, overloaded and too busy. Perhaps you recognise them … those things you say yes to, and then instantly regret. What happens next? We try and backtrack, spending far too long undoing the commitment or rescheduling, using up extra time before the event has even happened. Or, the appointment sits in our diary like a black cloud, and we spend time wishing we didn’t have to go.

Next time you feel pressure to give an instant answer, stop. Log out of your email or leave the room. Shut your eyes for five minutes, walk round the block, or sleep on it. Think about whether you really want to say yes. Think about whether you’ve really got the time for it. Pausing before responding uses far less time than it takes to backtrack.

Are you always racing against time? Saying no more could be the solution (Photo: North Charleston)

3. Delayed response

“I’ll check and get back to you” is a great way to buy yourself some thinking time and avoid making an instant commitment you might regret. This gives you time to decide whether to say yes and also to decide when is a good time for you if you are committing to dates. Most people will accept this as an entirely reasonable response. It implies you are checking with your diary or another person. It doesn’t fix you to a timeframe by which you need to reply, and it buys you the thinking time you need.

4. Time out

When you turn off digital distractions such as email, your smartphone and social media, you’re saying no to people being able to contact you as and when they please. Instead, you’re deciding to show up online at a time convenient to you. This is a simple way to say no thanks to unwanted interruptions. Yet we don’t always make the most of our ability to be in control here. In my book, The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World, I give advice on how to do this and how to be more productive in a digital world.

5. Would you do it tomorrow?

This is a great test of whether you actually want to say yes or no. Would you do it tomorrow, given the chance? If the answer is yes, then great, say yes. It shows you are enthusiastic about spending your time on this. If the answer is no, beware of saying yes. Just because you put something in your diary for three weeks’ time, it won’t become any more attractive by then.

6. On hold

Sometimes, what we need to say rather than no is not now. If someone approaches you with an idea, venture or suggestion that you are interested in, but you just don’t have the headspace to consider it because it’s a particularly busy time, say so. Be specific. For example: “This is a busy fortnight, please can you contact me again after June 27th”. This means it’s back on their To Do list and you can forget about it. If, instead, you try to tackle it there and then, you risk becoming overloaded, not doing a very good job, or making a bad decision.

7. You don’t need to know what the space is for

If you’re feeling overloaded and overwhelmed, then say no to the next commitment that is asked of you. You don’t need to know what the space you are leaving is for. Maybe you are going to fill the space with what seems like nothing – things like sleeping, stopping or having a rest. But these ‘nothing’ times are vital. They mean we can restore our energy and then enjoy the other things we have put in our diary. Nothing times mean we can rest and think and then be productive and innovative when we turn back to our work. If necessary write ‘nothing’ in your diary to make sure you leave the space.

8. Swerve time-wasters

Have you ever worked with someone who wasted endless amounts of your time even on simple tasks? People like this don’t value your time, or their own. So saying no to working with them at the outset will save you an awful lot of time. How can you spot the signs of this early on and avoid getting pulled in to a project with them?

Classic early signs of a time-waster are arranging an initial call or meeting and then cancelling it at the very last minute. Here, they’ve already wasted your time – you’ve prepared, arranged your diary to fit around the call or meeting, and perhaps even shown up in person. Yet they think nothing of re-arranging. Other early signs are that they say they will send documents by a certain time and then don’t, or that they send long rambling emails. Say no politely to the project, explaining for example, that your work commitments have changed (they have – you have just made yourself some valuable time you can now use!).

9. Always saying yes equals burnout

If you work for yourself – for example, as an entrepreneur or freelancer – there can be a temptation to say yes to every project and client, due to the fear that work will dry up. But never saying no can lead to exhaustion and burnout. It can also mean that while you are busy doing the ‘drudge’ work you never get round to the work that makes your heart sing, the reason you do what you do in the first place. Saying no can be really, really difficult in these situations – particularly if you don’t know yet what will come along instead. So you shouldn’t underestimate the powerful steps you are taking when you do say no. Every now and then, let go of the kind of work you don’t want to be spending your time on by saying no. You leave space then for stepping up, getting, and doing the work that really deserves your time.

10. “I’d love to, but …”

How do you go about saying no politely, protecting your time without offending other people? Here are a few suggestions.

“I simply haven’t got time right now.”

“I simply haven’t got time this week / month” (if you want to consider it next week/month)

“I’ll be back in touch after x, y, or z to sort something out” (for delaying)

“I’d love to but I’ve got other work/family/sporting commitments right now.”

“It’s a no I’m afraid. But thanks for asking me.”

Got a good suggestion? Heard a great no? Leave them in the comments box below…

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The key to being brave…

Posted on 2015-11-13 at 12:50 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

A week in Rwanda…

Posted on 2015-11-10 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

In my last post I talked about the genocide memorial and this atrocity is still what many people think of when they think of Rwanda. And yet Rwanda is a beautiful and fertile country where 80 per cent of the children go to school and where littering is illegal. In fact people are so conscious of keeping their community clean that they spend the last Saturday of every month cleaning up their streets.

It is amazing how far Rwanda come in the last 20 years, but despite its progress there are still many big issues simmering beneath the surface that lead you to question if, and when, things might start to unravel again. For example:

80 per cent of the population live on less than $2 per day, and 65 per cent on less than $1
freedom of speech is non-existent
disabled people are often exiled and there are stories of a ‘prison’ on Lake Kivu
despite the brilliant work by the Gacaca court to reconcile Tutsi and Hutu, many feel that there are still underlying tensions because most government and high paid jobs are now being taken by Tutsis and because many Tutsis still feel that revenge would be just.
Allegedly Rwanda is supporting the rebels over the border in DRC and there are some dubious dealings going on concerning the export of minerals and weapons.
President Kagame has worked wonders since the genocide, and while there is something to be said for a ‘benign dictatorship’, in 2017 he will stand for a third term – which is constitutionally illegal – and there is no opposition. Who knows what will happen at election time but hopefully the current climate in Burundi is not a hint of things to come.

(more…)

Be brave, rise strong, come alive

Posted on 2015-11-09 at 11:56 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending – to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how the story ends.” ~ Brené Brown, Rising Strong

This post is written by our Senior Editor, Rachel Kempton.

We know, from our own unique experiences and from the inspiring stories that are shared within our community, how much courage it takes to make your dreams come true – and how incredible it feels when they do.

Taking bold steps towards doing what you love is exciting, exhilarating and rewarding, but the journey there isn’t always easy. At times we can find ourselves feeling lost, confused and vulnerable – especially when we’re figuring out who we are, what we want and how we’re going to get there. We can find ourselves feeling stuck and afraid – paralysed by fear, past experiences or painful emotions. Or trapped – by people, circumstances, or by the stories we tell ourselves about our personal and professional struggles.

Yet when we are brave enough to look at our lives with clarity, understanding and compassion and challenge ourselves to rise through the pain of hurt, loss, falls and failure, we come alive. We move into a place of honesty and freedom: a place where we can live more truthfully and wholeheartedly and be the master of our own destiny.

One lady who knows all about the role bravery plays in living life with wisdom and meaning is social scientist, thought leader and best selling author, Dr. Brené Brown.

Brené is one of our biggest role models and someone who has built her career on exploring the deep dark places that many of us fear to tread: the issues of vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame. They are issues that she has spent years researching and which have led her to a profound truth: Vulnerability – the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome – is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy.

Brené’s yearning to live a full and wholehearted life has inspired her three most recent books, which she sums up as:

The Gifts of Imperfection – Be you.
Daring Greatly – Be all in.
Rising Strong – Fall. Get up. Try again.

We aren’t affiliated to this book; we are sharing it because we feel it is of value.

Overcoming the fear of failure

We can highly recommend all three books but if you have issues with failure (and who hasn’t?), Rising Strong is a must-read. In it Brené is open and honest about her own struggles, and how she worked through those to gain a better understanding of herself. She shares the idea that if, inevitably, we’re all going to stumble and fall, we shouldn’t be afraid to feel pain, hurt and discomfort. And that it’s the process of rising up again, regaining our footing in the midst of struggle, and dealing with our emotions that’s most important, as this is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. In her opinion: “Rather than gold-plating grit and trying to make failure look fashionable, we’d be better off learning how to recognize the beauty in truth and tenacity.”

According to Brené, regardless of situation or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same:

(1) The reckoning – walking into our story: recognise emotion and get curious about what we are feeling as this connects with how we think and behave.

(2) The rumble – owning our story: get honest about the stories we’re making up about our struggle/s and challenge them to determine the truth.

(3) The revolution – write a new ending to our story based on the key learnings from our rumble. Use this braver story to change how we engage with the world and transform the way we live, love, parent and lead.

In chapter one, The Physics of Vulnerability, Brené talks about the ten Rules of Engagement for Rising Strong, and I especially love number 9: Courage is contagious. By sharing her own stories Brené reminded me that every single one of us is vulnerable – regardless of who we are and what we’ve achieved. She goes on to say: “In my work I’ve found that moving out of powerlessness, and even despair, requires hope. Hope is not an emotion: It’s a cognitive process… hope is learned.”

“We can’t rise strong when we’re on the run” ~ Brené Brown, Rising Strong

This week we challenge you to think about how you can be braver in your own life: What are you most afraid of? What’s the story you’re carrying behind those emotions and experiences? Are you willing to question that story?

We hope that this book empowers you to rise strong, recognize your story, and rumble with the truth until you get to a place where you think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how the story ends. You can pick up your copy of Rising Strong here.