Vulnerable
“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
Upon reading this quote, I reflect on my own experiences and how vulnerable I allow myself to be to my surroundings on a daily basis. Honestly, this is a very hard topic for me to talk about, but I feel as though I am not the only person who feels this way or thinks about these things.
First, let us start with the word itself: vulnerable.
vul·ner·a·ble / vəln(ə)rəbəl – adjective
1. Capable of being physically or emotionally wounded or hurt
2. Open to temptation, persuasion, censure, etc.
3. Liable or exposed to disease, disaster, etc.
[from Late Latin vulnerābilis, from Latin vulnerāre to wound, from vulnus a wound]
Resource: ww.thefreedictionary.com/vulnerable
So what is your first impression? Personally, all I see are red warning signals flashing through my mind saying, “Danger! Stay away” along with “Nope. You will never find me in this situation.” In reality, good or bad, we all allow ourselves to be vulnerable to a certain extent. But why? Why do we put ourselves in a position where we may be hurt or have no control of our surroundings? Why would we allow ourselves to feel so emotionally naked in front of someone else? In my opinion, we do it because of our curiosity and naivety.
We give people the benefit of the doubt. Better yet, we give OURSELF the benefit of the doubt. We tell ourselves that we can handle it. Although we know we may lose the battle, our inexperience convinces us that we may win the war. Half of the time, this may be the case. But remember, for every winner, there is a loser – and so the other half of the time, you may find yourself with that sour feeling in your heart and gut, reflecting on the risks you decided (and I repeat, YOU decided) to take.
We have all made mistakes in our lives. We have also been taken advantage of and hurt to the point of no return. And although I may or may not have the same battle scars that some of you have gallantly survived, I feel that we can agree that we would not be the person we are today if we had not gone through our experiences. I guess the tricky part to this is asking whether or not we like the person we have become because of it.
What do you think? Have we taken our experiences to build a wall and create more pain for each other? Do we use our hurt and pain to validate our bad choices? What if we took these feelings and focused on becoming a better person instead?
In hindsight, I know that being vulnerable and getting hurt may feel like it is the end of the world, but only when we are pushed to our limit are we able to realize what we are capable of accomplishing.
With that being said and the new year coming up, I want to challenge all of us to take advantage of our experiences and be proactive with it. We may surprise ourselves. Do not sit on the sideline and wait for something to happen because you may end up sitting there forever. We need to remind ourselves to fight for your own success, because at the end of the day, who else will? And remember, “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
Upon reading this quote, I reflect on my own experiences and how vulnerable I allow myself to be to my surroundings on a daily basis. Honestly, this is a very hard topic for me to talk about, but I feel as though I am not the only person who feels this way or thinks about these things.
First, let us start with the word itself: vulnerable.
vul·ner·a·ble / vəln(ə)rəbəl – adjective
1. Capable of being physically or emotionally wounded or hurt
2. Open to temptation, persuasion, censure, etc.
3. Liable or exposed to disease, disaster, etc.
[from Late Latin vulnerābilis, from Latin vulnerāre to wound, from vulnus a wound]
Resource: ww.thefreedictionary.com/vulnerable
So what is your first impression? Personally, all I see are red warning signals flashing through my mind saying, “Danger! Stay away” along with “Nope. You will never find me in this situation.” In reality, good or bad, we all allow ourselves to be vulnerable to a certain extent. But why? Why do we put ourselves in a position where we may be hurt or have no control of our surroundings? Why would we allow ourselves to feel so emotionally naked in front of someone else? In my opinion, we do it because of our curiosity and naivety.
We give people the benefit of the doubt. Better yet, we give OURSELF the benefit of the doubt. We tell ourselves that we can handle it. Although we know we may lose the battle, our inexperience convinces us that we may win the war. Half of the time, this may be the case. But remember, for every winner, there is a loser – and so the other half of the time, you may find yourself with that sour feeling in your heart and gut, reflecting on the risks you decided (and I repeat, YOU decided) to take.
We have all made mistakes in our lives. We have also been taken advantage of and hurt to the point of no return. And although I may or may not have the same battle scars that some of you have gallantly survived, I feel that we can agree that we would not be the person we are today if we had not gone through our experiences. I guess the tricky part to this is asking whether or not we like the person we have become because of it.
What do you think? Have we taken our experiences to build a wall and create more pain for each other? Do we use our hurt and pain to validate our bad choices? What if we took these feelings and focused on becoming a better person instead?
In hindsight, I know that being vulnerable and getting hurt may feel like it is the end of the world, but only when we are pushed to our limit are we able to realize what we are capable of accomplishing.
With that being said and the new year coming up, I want to challenge all of us to take advantage of our experiences and be proactive with it. We may surprise ourselves. Do not sit on the sideline and wait for something to happen because you may end up sitting there forever. We need to remind ourselves to fight for your own success, because at the end of the day, who else will? And remember, “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
