I have always kept a lot for myself. Whether they were feelings, opinions, or reactions.
And this is what was going on my head:
– I am not going to put myself out there.
– I am going to be judged.
– None will understand me.
– Are people going to think I’m weird?
The list of worries goes on and on. It started to change slowly through time and experiences. I felt that I wasn’t genuine and it might have led me to some negative experiences.
So I decided to make an effort and change. If I want to be around the right people that understand me and that I understand, I must be 100% myself. If I say what I feel, the person that I want to be close to will see what kind of person I am, he/she may also open up; this will connect us on a deeper level.
Same thing goes with writing here: I always thought I am not good at writing a blog post, and I was never really putting myself out there consistently. It was a case of one step forward, three steps back. It’s important to just hit “send”—to move past the fear of judgment. It’s vulnerability at its essence.
I let fear win for a long time. The first step to beat this fear was to know it was there simply. Knowing is one thing; however, conquering it is another. Did I make some progress with my writing? Sure. It was weak progress though. My progress caused small leaks in my armour.
Then I started getting feedback from people that my writing was inspiring to them and they could relate to my stories. The feeling of knowing that what you’re doing is touching someone is indescribable.
My fear hasn’t gone away entirely, but that’s a great thing. When you’re feeling vulnerable or fearful, it means you care.
Here are my 4 steps to embrace vulnerability:
1. Gain Awareness
Understand yourself. Be aware of what you are doing. Realize that this attitude won’t take you far and that your fear is based on how much you care. This is the first step. If you aren’t in tune with this, there’s no way to embrace or overcome it.
2. Become Honest.
Be honest with yourself first. Recognize what you feel, accept what you think, allow yourself to react like you want to react and then let yourself be exposed.
3. Accept it.
Your ability to be okay with vulnerability will bring exponential results when it comes to experiencing joy. I bet if you asked every person you’re close to whether or not they experience fear, you would get 80% to say yes. The other 20% would be lying.
4. Break free.
You’ve got to break free at some point. Take that shield off. Write that letter you’ve been thinking about, declare your flame, tell someone you’re sorry, even if you think it should be them coming to you. Just jump. It won’t be as bad as you think it will be.
There is a great power in embracing your vulnerability. It means letting go—letting go of failed relationships, failed projects, and anything in your past that felt like a failure. Until you let go and focus on the present, happiness is just a myth.
Remember: Vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Would you like to have a chat about it? Book a free 30min call with me now.
