Probably if you are from my generation (X 1965-1979) you’d acknowledge the fact that our upbringing was immensely different from recent generations. We were taught to be strong, to swallow whole, to fall and get back up without complaints, that crying was for girls, and that we must above all endure the tyranny of life and move on.
In that sense our emotions in many cases suffered, in other cases made us strong, it was sort of the survival of the fittest thing however, the one common fact is that not only for my generation but for many other people being exposed, opened to share your feelings has always been an issue, regarding you as a softy, weak, and vulnerable person.
Vulnerability! That word that scares the shit out of us! Just the thought of open to someone, to be exposed, out there in the open subject to God knows what. Ut has been regarded as a negative concept, it’s related to weakness, to embarrassment, to downgrade the self-image and the projection towards others, it seems to be a very bad thing, or is it?
Vulnerability has a hidden power, it is an ability that if discovered, if understood as a potential it has the strength to build our character, our relationships with ourselves and others. But of course, the deal breaker is one to understand this idea, then to overcome old paradigms of imposed knowledge, and three the willingness to open up to growing. In order to launch this superpower the first thing that needs to be done is to identify our emotions, to understand what triggers them, to accept that we are imperfect beigns and that we are destined to learn form our mistakes, to be compassionate enough to forgive ourselves for those mistakes and fuckups. Being vulnerable is of course a form of change and as such it is uncomfortable.
We must understand that there are three key elements to consider in this concept of vulnerability as it is navigated (shame, loss and values) ; they’re all interconnected, and they all play an important part as we go through the process of openness.
One other thing to consider, vulnerability means we put our emotions up front, in the frontline, so we need to understand them, and we must learn how to manage them as well, remember also, they are never alone, when emotions bloom, they never show individually. So, if you dare to be vulnerable if you are willing to grow, to be a better self, a more empowered individual, take these into consideration, but know the most important thing vulnerability can come as a set of great and useful advantages, for instance: it allows you to open to learning, it helps you connect more consciously, it is said that it is the start point for happiness since you learn to accept yourself more, it boosts your creativity since it contributes to manage emotions and that allows you to use your thought process more effectively, it also lets you create better and stronger relationships since opening to acceptance leads to authenticity and this is fundamental to relate better with yourself and others. I guess in the end there’s nothing to lose but much to be gained.
