Daring Greatly Insights

The must-read analysis of the key insights from "Daring Greatly" by Brené Brown — presented by Athena.

It may sound paradoxical, but to be more courageous — more willing to take risks — we have to be more vulnerable. Because by embracing vulnerability, we open ourselves to growth and opportunities that can reshape and expand who we are and what we’re capable of.

In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt introduced the idea of “daring greatly” during a speech in Paris. Roosevelt was paying tribute to the type of man who, “if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.” Brené Brown expands on this idea in Daring Greatly, encouraging readers to be the “man in the arena,” as Roosevelt put it, rather than a critic in the stands — or a couch potato wasting time and shunning opportunities.

Brown — who gave blockbuster TED Talks on the power of vulnerability and listening to shame — devoted 12 years of research to finding the key to daring greatly. What she found? It’s about opening yourself up to vulnerability, which we all find challenging — even Brown, who once told her therapist, “I frickin’ hate vulnerability.” It’s a stumbling block she worked to overcome, making her uniquely qualified to coach others looking to take risks and engage in the world more courageously.

“When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable,” Brown writes. Daring Greatly, which has sold more than a million copies and hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list, is about embracing imperfection and the power of vulnerability.