Vulnerability is strength! Find out how this book can help change the way you see your true self!

Friday: Everson’s High-P Fridays FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Welcome to today’s edition of “Mindfulness by Miles!” Each Friday, I am bringing you my own voice on a topic or event that I find useful in my everyday business and personal life. My hope is that my own experiences and personal interests will help you in your own career and life as well. This week in particular, I am bringing you my “book of the month.” Personally, I have a passion for learning and I believe in making reading a priority. For me, books challenge us to expand our view on the world and reflect on what we hold to be true. That’s why this month, I want to give you a specific read that will challenge how you see vulnerability. Keep reading to find out how being vulnerable can actually be an act of courage. May you find today’s topic insightful! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Vulnerability is strength! Find out how this book can help change the way you see your true self! No one likes feeling vulnerable. Feeling exposed or uncertain places an extreme amount of emotional pressure on oneself. … and when we do feel vulnerable, many of us fall into the trap of associating this feeling with being weak or helpless. These feelings can cause us to make rash decisions that may get us out of the spotlight or camouflage our vulnerabilities, but don’t help us in the long run. It is this feeling and these outcomes that I try so hard to avoid. However, it’s hard not to feel vulnerable at times. So, when I saw author Brené Brown’s book—“Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”—on a local bookshop shelf, I quickly scooped it up. One of the reasons why I didn’t hesitate to buy this book is because I have a few background knowledge about Brené Brown’s work. As a researcher, professor, author, and podcast host, she uses 12 years of research and experience to dispel the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness. Instead, she suggests vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage. This is what caught my eye the most. As a business builder myself, I learned that being a leader requires having a brave face even in difficult times. However, I also learned throughout the years that honesty is another key part of being successful. This means I need to embrace vulnerability because it’s a huge part of honesty—of telling the truth. To be the kind of leader people can follow, I realize I have to be strong in the face of hard times, but I also have to be transparent even if it exposes some of my or my company's weaknesses. … and by reading Brown's book I discovered new ways to allow myself to be vulnerable without actually feeling weak. Brown argues in her book that vulnerability is the secret to a successful, happy life. She explains: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” This statement is an eye-opener for me because now, I view and use my vulnerability to step back and examine how I am viewing my current life. Doing so also enables me to use vulnerability as a tool to evaluate why I view myself or my situation negatively. Brown also encourages readers to ask themselves why they are associating negative feelings towards themselves. She says instead of feeling badly about themselves, people should learn to accept who they are and develop themselves into a better person. As for me, I take that as I can use my vulnerability to grow and develop a more powerful routine to correct or eliminate what it is that is making me feel vulnerable. Overall, Brown’s book greatly challenged me to put into practice a new vision for letting myself be seen. — Like I said in my introduction, reading enables us to expand how we see the world. That’s why I recommend great books like that of Brown because they help us reevaluate how we view a normal human experience. Additionally, they help us question societal beliefs and enable us to develop a new point of view. … and for me, this is something that we should all do regardless of our status or job positions in life. To grow or to find new and more successful ways to work, sometimes we need to flip our long-held (and maybe blurred) beliefs. So, if you’re ready to make some serious changes within yourself and change how you see your weaknesses, this book is for you. For a daily version of this newsletter, please subscribe here.