By: Savina Brown
You know that one we don’t want to show to anyone else because we are afraid of what they will think. That one that causes us to build walls to protect ourselves and put up a front that everything is good and dandy. You know…
V U L N E R A B I L I T Y
The dictionary defines it as “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.” Which is no surprise as to why we don’t want to share it with others. Who wants to be hurt? I doubt any of you said, “I do!” But let’s look at this from another viewpoint. Beautiful things can come from this “exposure” or from letting our guard down.
For instance, think about the last time you PR’d, you bared letting your ego down, you opened yourself up to the possibility of failure. Yet that PR wouldn’t have been attainable if you hid behind those self-limiting fears of being incapable. Think about it, our greatest successes come from being vulnerable. Like when you applied to college or that dream job, or when you asked your significant other out for the first time. You opened yourself up to rejection. You let go of that fear of not being good enough and took a chance. But think if you hadn’t taken that risk, if you kept your guard up and protected yourself from that harm or hurt, how different would your life be?
It is scary, right? We all have this fear of appearing weak or vulnerable to others, however I think our view needs to be shifted. Vulnerability isn’t weakness. Vulnerability is strength, courage, and bravery. So, here’s to breaking down those walls, opening up, and being more courageous, brave, and truly showing off that “v” word.