Instead of smallness

Brené Brown explains that at one time, she had “engineered smallness” in her life.

“For me, the fear of shame — the fear of criticism — was so great in my life, up until that point (I mean, just paralyzing) that I engineered smallness in my life. I did not take chances. I did not put myself out there.”
(From the Netflix Special, “Brené Brown: The Call to Courage”)

The desire for simple, safe praise is real. Careful, measured, achievable goals. Nothing too big. Nothing too bright. Nothing to risk failure or embarrassment.

And so many do just that. One can string together a lifetime of cautious steps that produce mediocre successes, average accomplishments, and only minor wounds.

But there is another path. It’s a courageous path where we dance with fear and allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Where we step into the arena and into the fullness of who we are. Where failure is sure to happen from time to time, but so too will victory.

We can aim for small and safe, but so much more is possible.