"True belonging doesn't require you to change who you are. It requires you to be who you are." –Dr. Brene Brown
In her book Braving the Wilderness, Dr. Brown describes belonging as the practice of believing in and belonging to yourself enough to “find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.” To belong is, in this sense, a valiant act of courage. While sometimes it may mean doing the thing that we fear most, at other times, real courage means NOT doing (or thinking or supporting or saying) what others expect from us. This is the wilderness we bravely enter alone, despite the taunts, laughter, or wild wolves urging us to forego our own best inclinations.