Be Vulnerable. Be Real. Be Open.
Vulnerability. It has somewhat a negative connotation. But why? Because being vulnerable makes you appear weak and sensitive. Let’s flip that and think about it in a positive way. Being vulnerable makes you open and willful that you may fail but you will only learn and grow from it.
It took me 29 ½ years (of 31 years) to learn that it’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to not always be strong or to put up a front that you’re stronger than you really may be in a certain situation.
Brené Brown did a Ted Talks on The Power of Vulnerability and it is one of the top five most viewed Ted Talks in the world. Everyone can relate to this feeling even if they push it down and never let it out or embrace it and talk about it.
Here are some key points & quotes from her presentation at Hubspot’s Inbound Conference:
- #1 shame for women is their body and appearance.
- #1 shame for men is showing weakness.
- People want more love, joy and trust. Vulnerability is the path to obtain these things.
- Vulnerability is to show up and be seen.
- If you’re brave enough, you will fail.
- I think being vulnerable feels dangerous, and I think it feels scary, and I think it is terrifying. But I don’t think it’s as dangerous, scary, or terrifying as getting to the end of our lives and wondering, what if I would have shown up?
As a female I feel like my mind never stops, I laughed but felt relieved when Brené Brown talked about how we’re all wired to make up stories. For example, you’re waiting for your friend to text you back and you haven’t heard from her. Our brain starts making up stories or scenarios on why she hasn’t gotten back to you. Most of the time, it’s nothing and you got all worked up but you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable to clear up the “story” or clarify what happened, if anything at all. Our brains want certainty and do not like confusion, so drop that pride and just ask. Your mind will thank you.
