Thoughts: Celebrating impermanence…

Lilies in front of my parents' home - photo by Richard Bama Byington (my brother)
Lilies in front of my parents’ home – photo by Richard Bama Byington (my brother)

Real flowers are much more beautiful than plastic ones, in part because of their impermanence. People appreciate the seasons, the autumn and the spring, because the seasons are a process of change. Each season is a precious time. In this way, impermanence is beauty.

– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

(thanks to my brother for the picture!)

Thoughts: Brené Brown on Why Your Critics Aren’t The Ones Who Count

Brené, in action...
Brené, in action…

You already know that we here at the monkastary really admire Brene Brown, and we really like her talks, so we thought we’d share this with you today (this is one of her newer ones….)…from the intro:

There is nothing more frightening than the moment we expose our ideas to the world. Author and vulnerability researcher Brené Brown shows us how to deal with the critics and our own self-doubt by refusing to “armor up” and shut ourselves off. “Not caring what people think,” she says, “is its own kind of hustle.”

Instead we must “reserve a seat” for the critics and our own self-doubt. “Tell them, I see you, I hear you, but I’m going to do this anyway.”

About Brené Brown

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past twelve years studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. Her groundbreaking research has been featured on PBS, NPR, CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Brené is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Gotham, 2012). In Daring Greatly Brené dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

Fast Company Magazine named Daring Greatly one of the best business books of 2012. Brené’s 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top ten most viewed TED talks on TED.com, with over 20 million viewers (you can watch it here!).

Brené is also the author of The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), I Thought It Was Just Me (2007), and Connections (2009).

She lives in Houston with her husband, Steve, and their two children, Ellen and Charlie.