A quote from Brené Brown's, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, a book I recently finished and highly recommend:
“I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.
With that definition in mind, let’s think about love. Waking up every
day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we
can’t ensure, who may stay in our lives or may leave without a moment’s
notice, who may be loyal to the day they die or betray us tomorrow —
that’s vulnerability.”
I choose this. I choose to be open and vulnerable, and feel raw emotions as they ebb and flow. To feel and be aware, and intentionally bare your soul to the world and/or someone you care about deeply is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. In return and in Fred Rogers words, "...the greatest gift we can give to anybody is the gift of our honest self." Our honest, true, wholehearted self. I'm all in.
By practicing to live with this transparency, we are mindfully letting go of control, trusting in the process, and engaging from a place of worthiness; a series of choices strung together to create one incredibly positive and authentic life. It is also helpful to remind ourselves that we are all in this together, living through similar experiences and feelings every day, and yearning for connection, created through mutual empathy and empowerment. It is the human condition. With only one precious life to live, why be afraid to share ALL of you? Start by saying, "My story matters because I matter", a powerful Brené mantra that works!
 |
| Mt. San Jacinto State Park, March 2016 |
More common than not, as soon as things get a bit tough or uncomfortable, we (as a society) tend to pull away and numb the emotion. We are impulsive and addicted, want instant gratification, or are just too afraid to rip off the band-aid out of fear of pain and exposure. But honestly, though. What's more freeing than allowing yourself to experience your feelings rather than repeating the vicious cycle of reflecting on them over and over? When you hide from the truth you're robbing yourself of the opportunity to live a more fulfilling and joyful life.
"Allow things to come and go; keeping your heart as open as the sky." —Lao Tzu
I always tell myself to trust the struggle. I gently lean into the discomfort, practice self-love, and remain bold, brave, open-hearted, and steadfast in faith. People and relationships will come and go, helping mold and shape me, and each time, I will come out stronger and more connected with my most spiritual and authentic self. Why? Because I let them in. Because I honored myself, my true self, and was open to experience the depth and love of sharing my heart with another human.
A broken heart is an open heart❣
