Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, fail More, and Live Bolder

Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani                   Audio Book: 5hrs., 30 mins       Hardback book:  204 pages            

My favorite thing Reshma Saujani said in this book is to keep your failures like trophies because they how just how brave you are.   What a great concept.   It takes guts to do something, to take a stand, to try something new, to go out on a limb for your passion and sometimes you get slapped down for your effort but instead of feeling like you failed, turn that around and see it for what it really is a glorious triumph because you tried so  what if you fail?   You try again, and this time you know what doesn’t work, so, you have a step up from where you were the first time you tried.   Failures are badges of honor in her book.  This book came out of her TED talk.     She is the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a 7 week Non-Profit Summer Immersion Program to equip young women with Technological skills.   The program is in all 50 statges and in U.S. territories.    Reshma is leading the charge to change the fact that boys are taught to be brave while girls are taught to be perfect.   Women and men are taught these sterotypes in the home growing up and it is reinforced in schools and even in the workplace.   Women give up their joy when they buy in to this notion.     In this book she will teach you to rewire your thinking to break away from perfectionism and go for bravery.   She shows you how to stop holding yourself back to find your voice and speak up, heck even let the world know your skill set – its not bragging if its true!   Very enjoyable book.   She really tell it like it is – if women speak up and push back they are thought to be the b word – that is rubbish.   She cites loads of examples in how to stand up for yourself, how to quit playing down your abilities – she discusses how studies have shown a man will go for a job if he figures he has 60% of the qualifications for a job – with women, they must have 90% before they will try for that same position.   Much good information to be found here.   I highly recommend this book to females young and old and men who want to promote the women in their lives – this book will give them insight on the inner workings of the female perfception of self as taught by the environment – the world we grow up in.    Well done.

 - Shirley J.