I wanted to share with you the TED talk that impacted me the most and that I keep coming back to whenever I need a bit of a relationship pep talk. Every time I watch it, it strikes a chord with me. It always makes me reflect on the relationships that I have built and continue building, and the purpose behind working and living with others.
In this TED talk, Brené Brown presents the results of a study on connection she conducted over six years for which she interviewed hundreds of people.
“Connection is why we’re here, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives”
With the stories she gathered, Brené Brown was able to separate them into two groups: the people who felt strong connections and the people who struggle for it. She was able to find behavioural patterns and common threads among these two groups and came to the conclusion that “the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe they’re worthy of love and belonging.”
People who feel like they belong have the courage to be imperfect
People who have a strong sense of love and belonging embrace compassion, authenticity, courage, and live their life wholeheartedly. They surround themselves with people who they know will embrace that too and with whom they can be safe and being vulnerable. On the other hand, you can’t create meaningful connections with people to whom you can’t show who you truly are, in the good and most importantly in the bad.
There are four principles to keep in mind:
- Let yourself be seen
- Love with your whole heart
- Practice gratitude and joy
- Believe you are enough
How do you think you can implement these principles in your life?