BY: COLLEEN LINDBERG
This word has been a part of my path recently more so than it has ever been before. Growing up I thought that to show true feelings was weak and that I had to become what others wanted me to be (or so that is what I perceived of life at the time). As I grew into my 20’s it became apparent after a lot of soul work that I was hiding. I lived with masks on every day trying to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. It came as a shock at first because I was like “What do you mean this isn’t me?” as I asked myself this question then the next one came out “Then who am I?” Ahh.. that is the quest that we are on as people. That dreaded, heavy question of life.
From this point in my world, I sought out answers. Do I have them all now? Gosh no, but I am definitely closer to knowing who I am and more importantly being totally in love with her. So, if we talk about vulnerability, then where do we go from here. Being vulnerable means having authentic and real conversations. It means standing in your uniqueness and owning your talents, no matter what others think. Being vulnerable can also lead to others judging you and not understanding, which is ok as long as you are being true to yourself. It will happen anyways, there will always be people out there that judge others. It’s kind of like their MO.
With all this being said, how you can take steps in your life to be more vulnerable and in alignment with yourself? Here are a few
1) When making decisions to do things always weigh out if you want to and how it feels for you. There will always be situations where you will have to comprise whether it be with a significant other or work, but the majority of our days should be spent doing things that are aligned with us and that makes us feel good
2) When you are put into situations that go against how you feel, or someone hurts you, speak up and tell them. It doesn’t have to be in an aggressive/angry way, it’s more so like holding a standard and standing your ground.
3) Lastly be real to you. Tell the stories that might embarrass you, be transparent in your approaches and speak up when you are wrong. Vulnerability shines a light on the things that might not be our strengths, but we can’t be strong in everything. Own it. Say it when you suck at something, don’t pretend to be good because you think you have to, be transparent in what you need to learn and ask for help when you need to. It will make things so much easier.
Being vulnerable is not easy, sometimes it forces us to do 180’s on what we believe or how we have been living our lives. Stand in the space and own it, it makes life so much more connected when you do.
