After a day feeling grumpy, I biked to a sold-out talk by Brené Brown promoting her new book, Rising Strong, in a state of disarray. Thanks to the fresh air and aerobic movement, I began to feel more myself just in time to enter Sixth and I.

Although I went solo with plans of slinking into a pew anonymously, I saw a friend waving from across the room and, eager to connect, I made my way across the balcony to her.

Shortly thereafter Brené took the stage and I settled in to my seat with devout attention—pen and paper in hand, of course. Here are the notes I penned:

* Draw a 1″x1″ square and make a list of whose opinions matter to you. Take their feedback to heart, no one else’s.

* Don’t try to win over the haters, you’re not a jack ass whisperer.

* Bring self-awareness by clarifying, “The story I’m telling myself right now is . . . ”

* If you want to change behavior, speak to emotion.

* Breathing helps us get centered.

* Ask, “What do I really need to know, poke around in, and understand?” to help process trauma.

* When having conflict share, “Here’s what happened, here’s the story I’m making up about it, is there anything we need to clean up?”

* Set boundaries around what is/isn’t okay.

* The moment you disown a story, it owns you.

* Reread shitty first drafts {the stories we tell ourselves} for patterns.

* Most compassionate people also have the best boundaries.

* The ability to open the line of communication in times of stress is transformational leadership.

* Scarcity is the birthplace of comparison.

I pedaled home grateful to be less grumpy and more in tune with what really matters. That’s something Brené preaches so eloquently and I look forward to reading her new book.

For a taste of Brené’s work, check out her two Ted Talks: Listening to Shame and The Power of Vulnerability.

Shortly I’ll get to hear Elizabeth Gilbert talk about her new book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Stay tuned for more nuggets of inspiration. Bisous. x