5 min read ⌚ 

The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.

Of course most of them are going to tell you discover your weaknesses as soon as possible, because somebody is going to use them!

After all, it’s a jungle out there! And when things get competitive, you’re either intelligent and gain an advantage, or weak and lose everything!

Fortunately, there are authors like Brené Brown out there who would beg to differ. Book after book, she has tried to convince the world that it’s good to be vulnerable and courageous to be weak.

And “Rising Strong” is not an exception – аs our summary will prove to you shortly.

Who Should Read “Rising Strong”? And Why?

One thing you can’t take away from Brené Brown is certainly her openness and sincerity. In fact, that’s the element which strikes readers primarily and profoundly. And, combined with her humor, it’s what has resulted in her 2010 TED Talk being one of the Top 5 most viewed TED Talks in history.

“Rising Strong” is for everybody who has enjoyed Brown’s “Daring Greatly” and “The Gifts of Imperfection”. It’s a book about those who are willing to let a little more tenderness into their lives.

But, above all, it’s a great inspirational work about tackling the difficult times in your life. And about being compassionate to others who might not have the power to recover.

About Brené Brown

Brené Brown is a Research Professor at the University of Houston. She has spent most of her life studying the virtues of vulnerability and compassion. Because of this, she is considered one of the foremost experts on the roots of human connection.

Brown is the CEO of Brave Leaders Inc. She has written four #1 New York Times Bestsellers, the last one being her most recent book, “Braving the Wilderness.”

“Rising Strong Summary”

If you know anything about Brené Brown, you probably know this: that she’s great at storytelling and even better at coining mnemonics.

Do you remember the 3C sequence from “The Gifts of Imperfection”?

Of course you do! And you fire away instantly: the three Cs stand for courage, compassion, and connection!

Well, our dear little intelligent reader, Brown has another mnemonic in her new book. And this one is all about the letter R.

The reckoning; the rumble; the revolution.

That’s the subtitle and that’s what the whole book is all about. And those are the three steps you need to remember, whether you want to come to terms with your grief, failures, or setbacks.

Reckoning is Brown’s way of telling you that you need to tell your story in order to understand it. No matter what they teach you, life is not about denying how you feel. Because people are not making it easier for anyone, by shielding themselves from their selves.

It’s about digging deep, and formulating your emotions into comprehensible language. This is not merely a process of sharing with the others, but it’s also necessary so as to be able to understand it. You know how people who write down things suddenly experience a eureka moment?

There’s a reason for that and it’s implanted in the way your brain works. Namely, your brain usually likes to protect you from traumas, by misshaping the memories, by telling you to adapt and look forward. However, this means slowly losing a part of yourself.

So, face it!

That’s what the rumble is. Obviously, the process doesn’t end with you telling the story. In fact, that’s merely the beginning. Now, comes the difficult part. And it’s the part where you retell the painful story, visiting it over and over again. Challenging it; facing it; reality-checking it.

And taking the blame.

Because only perpetual self-examination and introspection can help you rise above the circumstances. Because grief is bad when repressed; and because grief is good when dug through, turned upside-down. It leads to discoveries. It leads to peace.

“Wisdom arises from suffering” – believed the Ancient Greeks.

And rightly so.

That’s the revolution. It’s the moment you transform your beliefs and ideas. And the moment you stop looking at the world through the looking glass.

The revolution happens when there are no more “it isn’t fair”-s and “I deserved better”-s. Moreover, when the world is no longer divided into two groups of people: the worthy and the “sewer rats.” Your brain is misleading and tricks you into doing this partition, because it wants to make you more selfish.

That’s evolution for you right there.

But, don’t listen to it. Face your vulnerability and cry from time to time.

Help around. And you will be helped.

Key Lessons from “Rising Strong”

1.      The Three-Steps Rising Strong Process
2.      Fall. Get Up. Try Again.
3.      Learn What Yoda Speaks You Should

The Three-Steps Rising Strong Process

We already went through it. And you already know it. Time to start practicing it.

First, reckon: dig deep for your emotions and shape them into stories. Then, rumble: tell others those stories; check and recheck them; cry, shriek, hurt; take the blame. Finally, welcome the revolution: your attitude towards life is transformed.

You are, as Brown would say, a badass.

Fall. Get Up. Try Again.

In the “Introduction,” Brown notes that her work has progressed in three stages.

Namely, the main message of “The Gifts of Imperfection” was “Be you.” Then, “Daring Greatly” suggested us to “be all in.”

Finally, “Rising Stronger” shouted from the rooftops: “Fall. Get Up. Try Again.” That’s how trying becomes doing.

And that’s how you remain you all the way.

Learn What Yoda Speaks You Should

“Do or do not. There is no try.” Yoda said that.

“Yoda is right!” – Brené Brown says that.

You can be a Luke Skywalker and say “I don’t believe it.” But Yoda – and Brown – have some smart words for that as well: “That is why you fail.”

As cartoonist Stephen McCranie once said: “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” Nobel-Prize winner Samuel Beckett was even more wordy:

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.
Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

And I’m sure Brown would want to quote that!

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“Rising Strong” Quotes

Our Critical Review

It takes some courage to not be touched by Brené Brown’s words. Because even when she gets a little loose as in “Rising Strong” and moves away from somewhat more rigorous scientific work into the world of the folksy and the spiritual.

She tends to be repetitive once again, but with ideas we are comfortable hearing about over and over again. Nevertheless, she does have some new concepts to share with us, and she shares them in her familiar unpretentious, relaxed manner, which abounds with quotes from both academics and blockbusters.

And stories you’ll like to read and will probably not forget anytime soon.