Believe Brené Brown
Lesson 4 of 10 from the 200 Words-a-Day Challenge
In July 2023, I reluctantly accepted a challenge issued by
to write—and share—at least 200 words a day. Word count wasn’t the point; attempting to break through my resistance to sharing my writing was.This small daily task taught me a lot about myself, my creativity, and my writing practice. So I decided to also share my top ten lessons learned from the challenge in the hopes they’ll support you and your practice as well.
Following the pattern and the practice of the month-long challenge, I’m delivering these 10 lessons learned as micro-essays of at least 200 words.
Believe Brené Brown
When I began the challenge, it made sense to me that my daily micro-essays/prompts should strictly be related to creativity and the writing process. I figured that’s what people want so, naturally, I could draw on my professional knowledge as an editor, a certified creativity coach, and a writing retreat facilitator.
They started that way. But then they took an unanticipated turn. They got more … personal. And I didn’t try to steer them back.
I’m not sure I could have anyway. In July, I was emotionally spent. I’d been worried for a while about a family member who’d been in and out of the hospital. For several weeks, I was playing short-term helper for another family member after hip surgery. And then my husband and I experienced the unexpected loss of our tabby-child, Billy The Kid. This happened while I was away (and on my birthday, no less). Through all that, I didn’t have the fortitude to uphold the professional mask.
Sometimes what I wrote felt risky… and vulnerable. Having read Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly and watched her YouTube vids, I’ve always acknowledged her concepts that “vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage” and that “vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.” I realize now, though, I’d only accepted them as truths intellectually. Not wholeheartedly. Not as my own lived experience.
That changed in July. Looking back, the micro-essays that felt most vulnerable while writing them are the ones that express my truest voice. They’re also the ones that got the most response—laying the foundation for a beautiful discourse with readers and other writers that I look forward to cultivating further.
Lesson #4 of 10
Don’t fear being vulnerable. Wherever we are in the moment—emotionally, physically, psychologically—let’s be real and be ourselves. Our vulnerability makes us relatable and, most importantly, opens doors for deeper connection.