Kicking off the summer months gives us such a great chance to spend time outside enjoying a good book!

This month’s joy book is truly a wonderful read—both when you are physically or mentally in the wilderness of life! Keep reading to learn more!

Introducing the Book

I love me some Brené Brown and her book, Braving the Wilderness, is no exception!

If you aren’t familiar with Brené Brown’s work she is a social work researcher who has spent the majority of her career learning about the feeling of shame (along with other feelings such as authenticity, belonging, and resilience).

When you read her books that you often find yourself saying, “She nailed it on the head!”.

In her 2017 book, Braving the Wilderness, Brené speaks to the times in life when life takes you off from the known path.

When life calls you towards something that maybe you feel like you entering a symbolic wilderness—where no one seems to get exactly where you are going/what you’re doing— Brené offers a bit of a roadmap of sorts!

It’s scary. It’s faith-testing. And it’s worth it.

Brené’s book reminds me of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, where Frost writes, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/I took the one less traveled by/ And that has made all the difference.”

Have the courage to stand alone—and realize that even in that aloneness, you belong.

“There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, “Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.” This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness. ‘ ” -Brené Brown

Questions to Ask Yourself

Consider these questions while you read the book this month. I’m personally not a person who uses guided reading questions—feels a little too school-y for when you are reading for fun! I kept that in mind when developing these questions with the intention and hope they are useful and fun to think about!

A Final Note on Joy

Sometimes (and oftentimes!) the journey to living your fullest expression of joy can be a lonely process.

There are a lot of people in this world who—whether consciously or not—choose to live in anger, pain, fear, etc.

So, when you choose to live in joy— they may view you in a different light.

That’s not to say they are wrong for thinking how they do—most probably they don’t know there is another way to live / have been hurt a great deal enough and put up an “emotional wall”.

This does not in any way diminish YOUR light and YOUR joy though!

It is just something to be conscious of: you may find yourself in your own wilderness of sorts when you choose to follow your inner joy within. People may not resonate with you, you may not resonate with certain people, you may feel a little “out of place” in this world, people may not understand you, etc.

Brené’s book reminds us that when we are in our own “wildnerness” — to keep going! You may feel “alone” in the process at times—but remaining true to yourself and your inner joy is worth it. Let’s face that wilderness with a strong back, a soft front, and a wild heart!

Comment below: Have you felt like you were navigating the “wilderness” in life? How did you find joy during that time?