Blog #3

How can you apply her ideas toward your persistence in STEM, and inspire others to persist?


Brene Brown's Daring Greatly book has significantly impacted my academic and mental life. One of the ideas she proposes in her book is understanding and combating shame. When I started reading the chapter, I felt disconnected and somewhat like "shame" is not something I worry about too much in life. However, as I kept reading, I realized that I felt shame, and as we were discussing it in class, I discovered a lot of us feel it. We are vulnerable, and it is okay to be. The idea of being able to admit that I am vulnerable suddenly became "not scary."

Furthermore, as I read the next chapter, I learned about the vulnerability armory. How do we react when we feel vulnerable? Is it good or bad? Why do we respond like this? What can be changed? Brown talks about practicing gratitude, and when she describes gratitude, she does not necessarily mean to only practice it towards others but to yourself. Appreciating yourself for the things you do every day (as a STEM student, probably a lot) is part of embracing gratitude. 

Personally, this chapter (Chapter 4) increased my persistence in STEM since I always have had the initiative to tell others who are under pressure, "It will be okay," "you deserve a break," "you are doing everything you can." However, I have always had such a hard time telling that to myself. And it turns out, I was not the only one feeling this way. Other STEM students also have this mindset, which means I am not alone. 

Sometimes we forget to express gratitude to ourselves, and even though it seems complicated, it has improved the way I think and feel about myself as a STEM student. I believe that applying gratitude in your life as a STEM student can boost your persistence to benefit you academically and mentally because you can accept that you are vulnerable, and that is okay. We are all vulnerable!

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