I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t)

Telling the Truth about Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power

By: Brené Brown

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

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 its 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 were 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.

As 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."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2007 Brené Brown (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brené Brown’s ability to explore shame and resilience with humor, vulnerability and honesty is both uplifting and liberating. If we want to change our lives, our relationships or even the world, we must start by understanding and overcoming the shame that keeps us silent. This important and hopeful book offers a bold new perspective on the power of telling our stories." (Professor Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient; Campaign Ambassador, International Campaign to Ban Landmines)

"Grounded in exceptional scholarship and filled with inspiring stories, this is one of those rare books that has the potential to turn lives around." (Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of Anger)

" I Thought It Was Just Me can be a doorway to freedom and self-esteem for many, many readers. (Martha Beck, Ph.D., columnist, O, The Oprah Magazine, and author of Finding Your Own North Star)

Very good

Be sure to listen to Daring greatly and Vulnerability books. These two are awesome listens.

Rereading

I am definitely rereading book, and I can say Ms. Brown is dope as hell.

Loved the content

I love the content of this book but I missed Brent's voice. The narrator was fine but I really enjoy Brenè’ narrating.

Missing Brene's own Vulnerability Voice

If you are one of the squillions who have watched Brene Brown on TedTalks or Oprah's Super Soul Sunday you may empathize with my review. I missed hearing the book narrated by Brene Brown herself. Lauren Fortgang's effort was not without merit, however after having been engaged by watching Brene then buying the books I missed her delivery of her own words.

The book itself was worth the investment, I've listened twice since purchasing.

This booken helped me a lot, very deep and step by

I loved this book very much, it helped me a lot. It's not easy to read book, because of the main subject of the book - shame, you know.. Very deep and detailed book about this not so comfortable subject. In this book you will find many personal stories about shaming, judgement etc, and practic ways how to deal with those things best. As the title of the book says, you begin to understand that it's actually universal thing and you are NOT THE ONLY ONE handling this issues - for me it vas very relieving.. The author, Brene is AMAZING - human, touching and professional, some stories in this book are her personal experiences. One thing you may take into consideration, this book in my opinion mostly written for women, because all the stories and the examples are about women...

Another great read

I like her work so much that I hardly noticed the subtitle! I will say that having read a number of her books and listened to quite a few lectures, that stories do repeat in many different sources. I found this book, like I find her work in general, to be accessible and practical. In fact, I made good use of it one a phone call that interrupted my reading. I found myself having an interest in better understanding of how shame could have adaptive advantages. I get that 21st Century Individualism simply wasn't possible in earlier generations, so I wonder how shame helped keep tribal groups in line. I wasn't as excited by this book as I have been by her other works, that could be because I'm a man, and the experiences weren't like mine, or that having read both earlier and later works, I've already covered the material. Regardless, it's still a good book.

helpful and engaging

This book did an excellent job of explaining the role shame plays in society and how it effects people individually and collectively.

Thinking differently

This book will undoubtedly have you looking much differently at how you and others handle shame.

Must read for anyone struggling emotionally

This book spoke to me on a deeply personal level that years of therapy & medication have not been quite able to reach.

Brene offers in-depth, multifact

A MUST READ FOR HUMAN BEINGS

Brene Brown has captured so many truths about shame that it overwhelms. As you listen and experience you are exposed to yourself. As the the participants share stories from their lives I found myself relating to them even though we did not share any other common factors. Brene Brown's work allows us to view ourselves in the places of women from all walks of humanity. Yet she expands beyond that by highlighting the unique context of women of color and even the emotional experiences of men. I often am asked for a good "fill in the blank book" I would put this into my human being category. No matter your individual identity I truly believe any human being would benefit from this book.