1. “Empathy is a choice, and it’s a vulnerable choice because in order to connect with you, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling.”
2. “What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think, or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?”
3. “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”
4. “If you want to make a difference, the next time you see someone being cruel to another human being, take it personally. Take it personally because it is personal!”
5. “But what we know now is that when we deny our emotion, it owns us. When we own our emotion, we can rebuild and find our way through the pain.”
6. “Leadership is about courage. It’s about finding the courage to show up and have difficult conversations, to take risks and embrace change.”
7. “Perfectionism is the belief that if we do things perfectly, look perfect, and live perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”
8. “I define a leader as anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.”
9. “The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.”
10. “It’s how we protect ourselves from vulnerability. We just engage in a behavior that confirms our fear.”
11. “Shame is highly, highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide, eating disorders.”
12. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness–it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
Featured in: thankful thursday quotes for work
13. “When we work from a place that says, ‘I’m enough’ then we stop screaming and start listening, we’re kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we’re kinder and gentler to ourselves.”
14. “How much we know ourselves is extremely important but how we treat ourselves is the most important.”
15. “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
16. “Connection is the ability to recognize our shared humanity and to invite others into a sense of belonging and worthiness.”
17. “The story of belonging is the story of being seen, and the story of being seen is intimately connected to the story of being loved.”
18. “When I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose.”
19. “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”
20. “Shame is like a virus that is highly contagious. If one person is feeling shame, it’s almost impossible for them not to transfer that shame to others.”
21. “The things we do for love and belonging, the things we do for work, are the things that define us.”
22. “Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued.”
23. “We all have a story of shame. I think the difference between those who suffer and those who don’t is that the people who don’t suffer have learned to tell a different story.”
24. “Gratitude does not change the scenery. It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.”
25. “Empathy is not just something that happens to us. Empathy is an action that we take.”
26. “And shame is really easily understood as the fear of disconnection, Is there something about me that, if other people know it or see it, that I won’t be worthy of connection?”
27. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”
28. “Belonging is the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued for who we are and the experience of being a part of something greater than ourselves.”
29. “Vulnerability is the first thing I look for in you, but it’s the last thing I want you to see in me. In you, it’s courage. In me, it’s inadequacy. In you, it’s strength and lovability. In me, it’s shame.”
30. “Gratitude is a practice that shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present.”
31. “The people who have a strong sense of love and belonging, BELIEVE they are worthy of love and belonging.”
32. “Faith and reason are not natural opponents. It’s our need for certainty that has pitted faith and reason against each other. And one of the greatest weapons that controls that debate in our culture is shame.”
33. “I can always tell about the health of a culture of an organization by how much gossiping is happening”
34. “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
35. “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
36. “When we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the possibility of love, belonging, and joy.”
37. “Belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary.”
38. “The simplest definition for vulnerability is really uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. Vulnerability is about the willingness to show up and be seen when you have cero control over the outcome.”
39. “Perfectionism is not the key to success. In fact, research shows that perfectionism hampers achievement. Perfectionism is correlated with depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis or missed opportunities.”
40. “The most transformational leaders that I work with have very clear boundaries and respect people when they set them and encourage them, applaud them, and appreciate them.”
41. “Perfectionism is not self-improvement. Perfectionism is, at its core, about trying to earn approval and acceptance.”
42. “If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.”
43. “Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word ‘cor’ meaning ‘heart’. And the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.”
44. “No one reaches out to you for compassion or empathy so you can teach them how to behave better. They reach out to us because they believe in our capacity to know our darkness well enough to sit in the dark with them.”
45. “Leadership is not about being the boss. It’s about creating safety for everyone to show up, do their best work, and develop their full potential.”
46. “Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.”
47. “Love is never absent. When we’re in the midst of struggle and pain, it’s hard to remember that, but it’s always there. The real work is to learn how to access it.”
48. “We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.”
49. “Love and belonging are irreducible needs of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong.”
50. “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.”
51. “We need to stop with these false separations with tough and tender. Tough and tender can coexist and to me that’s kind of the equation for badassery.”
52. “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”
53. “The ability to hold space for other people and to stay present to the uncomfortable and emotional parts of our own lives is what gives us the capacity to change.”
54. “Living a life of daring greatly means cultivating the courage to be vulnerable, to set boundaries, and to let ourselves be seen.”
55. “Vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, but it appears that it’s also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love.”
56. “Real love involves truth, accountability, and transformation. Without these elements, it’s not real love.”
57. “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.”
58. “Avoidance will make you feel less vulnerable in the short run, but it will never make you less afraid.”
59. “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”
60. “Just because someone isn’t willing or able to love us, it doesn’t mean that we are unlovable.”
61. “Love and belonging, those are irreducible needs of all people. We’re hardwired for connection.”
62. “Perfectionism is a self destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought, If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.”
63. “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”
64. “I define love as an action that you take, a commitment that you make, and a promise that you keep to treat someone in a loving way.”
65. “Who we are is how we lead. Self-awareness, kindness, vision, accountability, trust, just basic skills of being a good human being to other human beings.”
66. “Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance.”
67. “The heart of leadership is connection, and connection is about empathy, curiosity, and emotional courage.”
68. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
Featured in: thankful thursday quotes for work
69. “Men and women who have a deep sense of love and belonging believe they are worthy of love and belonging.”
70. “Good friends aren’t afraid of your light. They never blow out your flame and you don’t blow out theirs — even when it’s really bright and it makes you worry about your own flame.”
71. “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.”
72. “Compassion is not a virtue — it is a commitment. It’s not something we have or don’t have — it’s something we choose to practice.”
73. “The origin of the word “courage” comes from the word “cour”, which mean heart, and it means to completely share your story with your whole heart.”
74. “Courage is like — it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue, You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.”
75. “Love and belonging are irreducible needs of men, women, and children. In the absence of love and belonging, there is always suffering.”
76. “Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them.”
77. “Empathy is not just about listening to people’s stories and feeling with them, it’s also about recognizing the emotions they’re feeling and using that recognition to create meaningful change.”
78. “Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving for excellence. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it’s a shield.”
79. “One of the things very resilient people have in common is they understand who they are and they don’t try to be other people, they don’t try to be another way, because incongruent living is not sustainable.”
80. “When we belong to ourselves and are connected to others, we’re equipped to reach new levels of creativity and self-expression.”
