Geri deGruy's blog of art, musings, and inspiration

OW!

Often, this is the first, knee-jerk reaction to the very thought of VULNERABILITY.  

(knees tremble, heart beats faster, mind goes blank or goes crazy, feet run in the opposite direction, I see nothing...)

"I'm revealed! "

"Maybe I'll be rejected, or mocked, or abandoned."

"It doesn't look strong, independent, powerful, professional, fill-in-the-blank."

"Others will take advantage."

"I will look weak."

"Maybe people will see that I'm a fake, that I'm not all they think I am, that I have flaws, etc etc."

And on and on it goes. We are often terrified of being who we truly are, with all the vulnerability that that entails.  And we have experiences to prove that it's dangerous.

But maybe being vulnerable is a true path to joy, to connectedness, to wholeness, to creativity, to living life in all its fullness.

Listen to this wonderful (!) funny TED talk by Brene Brown about vulnerability and connectedness. It's short and fabulous and speaks to the heart of the matter.