Control Freaks Anonymous, Part II

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I am a firm believer in the 12 steps. I think the principles are sound, and they have worked time and again. Although there isn’t exactly a “Control Freaks Anonymous”, I know that when you get down to it, most addictions are truly about control. So maybe there is hope for my recovery!

Step 1 – We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.

Shame – it’s what’s for dinner (at my house, anyway)

As some of you know, I’ve recently discovered Dr. Brene Brown (aka the Albert Einstien of the 21st century). She has a Ph.D. in Social Work and has spent her life studying shame, vulnerability, fear… basically all the things that get in the way of happiness, joy, and abundant life.

I’ve spent the past few weeks listening to her talks and reading her books and, well, dealing with my own shame. I’ve been, as Dr. Brown says, “wading in the swampland of the soul,” ...

shame (sssshhhhhh! we don't talk about that)

What IF...
...we lived our lives with authenticity? What if we weren't afraid to face those forces that motivate us? What if we looked at Shame in the face and defied its hold on our lives?

What if we simply acknowledged shame exists?

Shame is something everyone has. It is the most primitive human emotion. It is that voice that tells us we aren't good enough (pretty enough, smart enough, thin enough), so we try to be everything to everyone, we try to be perfect wives, perfect mothers, perfectly balanced inside and out.