I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Making the Journey from "What Will People Think?" to "I Am Enough"

Brené Brown
4.2
26,265 ratings 1,938 reviews
The quest for perfection is exhausting and unrelenting. We spend too much precious time and energy managing perception and creating carefully edited versions of ourselves to show to the world. As hard as we try, we can't seem to turn off the tapes that fill our heads with messages like, 'Never good enough!' and 'What will people think?' Why? What fuels this unattainable need to look like we always have it all together? At first glance we might think it's because we admire perfection, but that's not the case. We are actually the most attracted to people we consider to be authentic and down-to-earth. We love people who are 'real' - we're drawn to those who both embrace their imperfections and radiate self-acceptance. There is a constant barrage of social expectations that teach us that being imperfect is synonymous with being inadequate. Everywhere we turn, there are messages that tell us who, what and how we're supposed to be. So, we learn to hide our struggles and protect ourselves from shame, judgment, criticism and blame by seeking safety in pretending and perfection. Based on seven years of ground-breaking research and hundreds of interviews, I Thought It Was Just Me shines a long-overdue light on an important truth: Our imperfections are what connect us to each other and to our humanity. Our vulnerabilities are not weaknesses; they are powerful reminders to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality that we're all in this together. Dr. Brown writes, 'We need our lives back. It's time to reclaim the gifts of imperfection - the courage to be real, the compassion we need to love ourselves and others, and the connection that gives true purpose and meaning to life. These are the gifts that bring love, laughter, gratitude, empathy and joy into our lives.'
Genres: NonfictionSelf HelpPsychologyPersonal DevelopmentFeminismAudiobookMental HealthWomensRelationshipsBook Club
303 Pages

Community Reviews:

5 star
11772 (45%)
4 star
9408 (36%)
3 star
3918 (15%)
2 star
828 (3%)
1 star
339 (1%)

Readers also enjoyed

Other books by Brené Brown

Lists with this book

The Gifts of Imperfection
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
Eat, Pray, Love
The Girl on the Train
The Nightingale
Me Before You
To Kill a Mockingbird
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Best Woman-Authored Books
7966 books • 5051 voters
Interview with the Vampire
Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914
The Ipswich Bus
Books titles that start with a vowel
831 books • 43 voters