Shame

I have been listening to a social scientist Brene Brown, Ph.D.. She is an expert on shame. Here is what I have learned:

Shame separates us from each other. We all have shame.

Shame drives this type of thinking in our heads: “you’re never good enough” or “who do you think you are?”

Shame can be a product of our perfectionism. When we try to be perfect and don’t meet up to our own expectations, we feel like people are not going to accept us. The lie we listen to is this: IF we could just be perfect, we would be loved and accepted. This is NOT TRUE.

The irony is that our imperfections are the things that connect us to one another as human beings and make us who we are. Being vulnerable is an important step toward admitting our weakness and getting connected with others.