In her previous work, Brene has taught us about the powerful emotions of guilt and shame and the difference between them – guilt is “I made a mistake” and shame is “I am a mistake.”  These powerful emotions wreak havoc on our identity and during her interviews with hundreds of people, she learned about characteristics of people who were more resilient to shame.  She calls this Wholehearted living, opening The Gifts with “Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.  It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.  It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”