I can’t believe it’s already May! The year is just flying by and it seems that the weather is warming up in NY?! Finally.
My word for 2014 is Vulnerability. I made the commitment to myself to take bigger risks in order to play bigger in life. A piece of that risk includes sharing my story of transformation. That is one of the many reasons I’m excited to be hosting a live event on May 15th, in NYC: Summer Awakening: Inspiration for Your Soul.
For the first time I will be sharing parts of my story I have never shared before. I am so excited to be open and raw with you about where I was and the shifts I made to get from where I was to where I am now. My hope is to share something with you that makes you feel understood, inspired and able to jump right into action. At the end of the day, information is wonderful but action is really what breeds results.
We did a practice run through last Sunday and I have to admit, I really enjoyed listening to the other inspiring women and their inspirational talks too! Check out our #selfie (Nadya is on skype):
Anyways, back to vulnerability. From a societal point of view, vulnerability gets a bad rap. We try to avoid it in order to keep ourselves safe. And instead of opening our hearts, we keep our hearts closed with the effort to protect ourselves. Especially in areas of your life that were painful in our past, we have the tendency to build walls instead of open doors. If you check-in with your own experience, you can see how this would impact your ability to live wholeheartedly.
The truth is the more that we can embrace vulnerability, the more we GIVE and really LIVE! {Tweet it!}
Despite contrary belief, being vulnerable is a strength. Why? Because it allows us to do things out of our comfort zone. And when we do things out of our comfort zone, we grow — mentally, emotionally and spiritually. As a result, we actually become the courageous person we long to be.
Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and has spent the past decade studying vulnerability.
Here’s what she has to say, “Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.”
Simply being alive means we are vulnerable. Because the reality is – we don’t know what is going to happen at any given moment! Instead of letting fear rule you, I challenge you to pick something in your life that makes you feel vulnerable and develop the courage to take action. For example, maybe it’s saying, “I Love You” to someone close to you, standing up for yourself in a relationship, traveling to paris alone, starting a business or finally walking away from a job that you know no longer serves you.
Stepping into areas that challenge you to grow and expand will teach you a lot about yourself. Ultimately the insights and wisdom you gain from stepping up are valuable gems that you can apply to improve your your life.
Remember, it’s important to be gentle to yourself in this process. If something happens that doesn’t go your way, stay focused on your goals and change your approach but don’t give the experience a negative meaning. Keep forging ahead.
Feel free to share the risk you are going to take below and I will personally respond to you.
We hope to see you next Thursday, May 15th at Summer Awakening: Inspiration for Your Soul.
The early bird tickets are SOLD OUT, so make sure you grab your ticket today.