True Belonging

"Belonging is not something that we achieve or accomplish with others, it is something we carry in our hearts.  Once we belong thoroughly to ourselves and believe thoroughly in ourselves, true belonging is ours." ~ Brene Brown 

On my drive from Dallas to Chicago picking up my oldest daughter to bring her home.  We listened a bit (before we needed music to keep us awake) to Brene Brown's book "Braving the Wilderness". 

What struck me the most was her research on True Belonging. Not just belonging, but TRUE belonging.  

Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance

~Brene Brown

This past Thursday I decided to put myself out there and golf with a group of people I had never met. I was pretty nervous about how I will fit in, but I realized the beautiful thing about golf is that you meet people, but also have to play a game, so you have to keep moving, hitting and then discussing the game or talking a bit about your life.  It was a perfect way to find belonging in a new group.

Even as adults we need to feel like we belong, but I realized that when I meet new people and as our lives continue to change, I need to be who I am, not who I think people want me to be, then I will find true belonging.