Why Vulnerability Makes You Strong
The powerful effects of sharing thoughts and feelings.
What does it mean to be vulnerable? From what I’ve come to know, vulnerability means allowing oneself to express thoughts and feelings, including our deepest fears, pain, hopes, joys, and dreams with others. It’s doing so without fear of judgement or rejection. The truth of the matter is, if a person doesn’t accept you from this place of being vulnerable, they don’t deserve to be a part of your world.
Vulnerability is the key to true intimacy and authentic relationships. To fear being vulnerable is to fear being YOU. Lack of vulnerability forces us to wear a mask, hiding who we really are from those we love or wish to be close to. It also leads to a life of loneliness since it creates barriers to communicating with others about the things that truly matter to us and why. Contrary, vulnerability is the gateway to transformational healing. We can’t fix what we can’t face, nor can we get the support we need from our loved ones if they don’t know what pains us or brings us pure joy.
“Relationships have taught me that when we are forced to be vulnerable in our interactions and peel back the layers of ourselves that can sometimes be embarrassing and even quite painful to bear, we allow our true transformation to occur.” — Brittnay C. Starks via Bcstarks.com
As scary as it may seem, by showing who you truly are and allowing yourself to feel out loud, you give your friends, family, and significant other the opportunity to love the whole of who you are, not just the parts you choose to show. It also gives them permission to feel safe enough to trust you with the whole of who they are. And trust me, there’s nothing sweeter than relationships built on trust, authenticity, and acceptance. Try demonstrating this with someone you love or want to love but have not allowed yourself to be vulnerable with, or even in some of your other close relationships. See if makes the both of you feel any better or brings you any closer. Also, check out this awesome Ted Talk by researcher, author, and public speaker Brene Brown on the topic of vulnerability. I’d like to know some of your thoughts on the topic so to drop a comment below and please share with your friends and family to help spark the conversation.
Love,
Originally published at bcstarks.com on July 29, 2016.
