Being Vulnerable

Everyone loves being vulnerable, right? Hardly. When I consider the moments in my life when I threw caution to the wind, the ones that stand out are most definitely the ones that ended less than perfectly. Even as a person who doesn’t mind putting it out there, I’ve had my share of vulnerability gone awry. We all have. That’s probably why being vulnerable isn’t our constant modus operandi. That’s why, when I noticed Brene’ Brown’s TedTalk called “The Power of Vulnerability,” not viewing it wasn’t an option.

Let’s face it. Being vulnerable, for most of us, resembles ten kittens sliding down the length of your legs, claws extended. Brown, however, defines vulnerability not as weakness, but our most accurate measure of courage, the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change. She studies people, analyzing why some will not expose their vulnerability and some seem able to “breathe through the uncomfortable with no guarantee of acceptance.”

She discovered that when we have more difficulty with vulnerability, we’re dealing with shame, the inner monologue of “you’re never good enough, and who do you think you are?” We’ve all been there, too. Those who are better with vulnerability, according to Brown, have the courage to be imperfect, the compassion to be kind to themselves first–and subsequently others, and the connection to be their authentic selves. She makes perfect sense–plus, she has the research to back it up.

We all have personal mishaps in our histories that predispose future fearless action, things that were said to us or we experienced that limit our willingness to step out into the open. What a crock, right? How many times do we relive negative moments, inhibiting the joy we could be experiencing in the present? If we haven’t figured it out yet, we’re all a work in progress.

We seem to forget the moments that didn’t end badly, the times we opened up our true selves to possible criticism, but instead received a connection, whether it was someone else’s understanding of who we are or their appreciation for realizing they were not alone. There’d be so much benefit if we were all more plucky, unabashed, gutsy, spunky…courageous.

Listening to Brene’ Brown permitted me to start this blog. I’d wanted to write one and had been researching to make it a reality, but somehow never managed the “undeterred” part. Her words resonated with me–the fear I had about wondering if I was good enough to write.

Lay down your shame, people, and be vulnerable with me…and each other.

Quote of the Day:

Don’t let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen. extramadness.com