fearless vulnerability

we all love to connect and share, evident by the popularity of social media sites. we edit, crop, lighten, or darken our pictures so that we look our absolute best. tint, sharpen, contrast–i’m guilty. a lot of the time, i’m attempting to be artsy, but i’d be lying if i said i didn’t edit a picture or two (or 200) because i thought i looked washed out or not “up-to-par.” we don’t however, love to share our insecurities…

i stumbled upon this ted talk tonight that deeply impacted me (at a perfect time, too). brene brown has studied vulnerability for ten years. i highly recommend you watch this video.

she talks about how, as a society, we numb ourselves to vulnerability. by fearfully attempting to escape rejection and insecurity, we are preventing ourselves to fully experience joy, adventure, and creativity. we are all vulnerable creatures and unless we embrace our insecurities, what makes us different–what makes us beautiful–we will continue to be anxious, stressed, medicated, addicted, etc.

most importantly, if we don’t embrace being vulnerable, if we numb ourselves because we are fearful and insecure, we are not living wholeheartedly. we become miserable, looking for an answer or something more, striving for an unattainable perfection that will never come.

by recognizing our imperfections, loving them, being grateful for them, sharing that gratitude, and believing that we are worthy, we will open our hearts, unafraid of rejection, to possibility and pleasure. we will be able to look at ourselves in the mirror, in a photograph, and know that we are enough–good enough, capable enough, strong enough–and will love and appreciate ourselves in the way we wish others to.

i’ve long known that my happiness is determined by believing that i am worthy and deserving of it…but i haven’t treated myself as worthy. and i haven’t been very nice to me.

starting today, i am loving what makes me vulnerable. by doing so, i think i’ll be more compassionate and able to love others deeper, without restraint or fear. the way we love others is a reflection of how we love ourselves.

let’s build a beautiful, shameless social network of compassionate, vulnerable, splendid souls. let’s be authentic. let’s be real. who’s with me?

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