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“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” – Brené Brown
The more I learn, the more I admire the power of vulnerability.
- “We live in a society that sees vulnerability as a weakness most of the time…”
- “This person cannot take the pressure and will not be good for the job.”
- “I am a women and I work in a male dominant industry, so I need to be tough to be respected.”
- “I cannot show how I truly feel to my clients, (friends, family or whatever the case may be) because they will think I am a failure.”
“I tried to laugh about it, cover it all up with lies, I tried to laugh about it, hiding the tears in my eyes because boys don’t cry!” – The Cure
Guess what? Let me break the news for you: congratulations, you are human!!!
I can spend more time giving you other examples as the ones mentioned above, but that is not the point. The point I want to make is to show you that we are not robots, we are not machines. Life needs balance and to have a balanced life we need to allow ourselves to be the great super humans we were born to be.
I had the honor to see the blooming power of vulnerability right in front of my eyes a few times, moments where no status quo mattered and everyone was together, being kind, helpful and open to just be and support one another. The love simply poured and tears, hugs and collaboration became “natural”.
And what is natural for us after all??? Worth wondering…
If being vulnerable makes you feel uncomfortable and unsafe out there, practice vulnerability with your loved ones (at least) and open your heart to pour whatever is inside. If you are overflowing happiness, let it out and share. If you are feeling down and need support, open yourself up to ask and accept help from others. What happens when we don’t create a vulnerability “escape valve” is that we keep our feelings inside until they explode!
I am myself guilty to a certain degree, and as I usually mention, my growth as a human being and as a coach is a constant. As a matter of fact, I am being vulnerable right now admitting my imperfection in a public post. If I am human and I work with other humans, I cannot become a robot. I need to feel, hear and see with my heart to fully understand where my clients are coming from, what others need most and be open to ask for help also.
Go-Givers
I understand that the hard shell we sometimes choose to live inside may have an even greater purpose: our protection! If we felt safe to just be, shine and make things happen from our being essence, if we didn’t fear being judged or massacred by the masses when they find out that super-heroes become humans after removing their cape, we would not hide behind shields of protection.
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown
I once shared with a friend my opinion regarding the difference between being a good person and being a pleaser. Good people are truthful to their values and life purpose and organically deliver their best self to the world. Pleasers on the other hand, will try anything and everything to be noticed and appreciated, and will even go against their own values and life purpose to follow others, please and serve, in hopes to be loved and appreciated. People don’t love you for what you do for them, they love you for who you are for them!
Having said that, don’t forget to take your super-hero cape off when you get to a place where you feel safe to give baby steps practicing the power of vulnerability. Once you are more comfortable, open the doors to your life and start exploring your vulnerability in other places. In the end, you will get to a beautiful point where you don’t feel judged, hurt or afraid anymore and you will be proud to know that you can and have the right to simply… BE HUMAN!
Make it outstanding!
Coach Cris.
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Cris Repolês, The Phoenix 