Monday, December 30, 2019

Brené Brown's Braving the Wilderness

Title: Braving the Wilderness
Author: Brené Brown
Publisher: Vermilion London (2017)

I was recommended to read this book when I shared that there were times when I felt I had not belonged.

Essentially, the message from the author is:

"True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of somethng and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn't require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are."

In this book, which gathered data from the author's research, she outlined that braving the wilderness is the hardest of all calls to courage. Th call was for us to show up and stand up for our beliefs, in civil and respectful ways. The book ends with a quote from Maya Angelou:

"You are only free when you realize you belong no place - you belong every place - no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great."

Read: Beyond Willpower

Title: Beyond Willpower: The Secret Principle to Achieving Success in Life, Love and Happiness
Author: Alexander Loyd, Ph.D., N.D.
Published by: Harmony Books (2015)

When I was at the library, I was browsing for a book to borrow to read. I somehow picked up this book to read. The author shared his personal story and how he had been transformed by what he termed as 'the Greatest Principle". In a nutshell what is needed to be known is:

"Virtually every problem or lack of happiness and success comes from an internal state of fear in some form - even physical problems. And every internal state of fear results from a deficit of love in relation to that particular issue."

In this book, the author wrote about the 'stress response' mechanism which results from internal fear and causes the release of cortisol that could result in symptoms such as illnesses, pain and so forth.

On the other hand, the author also wrote about the concept of 'internal love which cause the natural release of oxytocin and can programme a person to succeed.

In this book, he outlined steps to lay the foundations of the Greatest Principle.

For a principle that requires regular practice to demonstrate its effectiveness, while I appreciate the author's generosity to share the principles in writing, I would appreciate more to have the support from him personally to practise the principles and test its effectiveness when it is applied to life. Nevertheless, I am thankful to be acquainted to this book.