Vulnerability is a scary word for most of us. To be vulnerable means to be exposed, riddled with holes, and giving access to things most people would rather avoid. A lot of us hide our vulnerable selves behind a false sense of security—4 walls, a blanket, and Netflix. But vulnerability is actually your most underutilized superpower, because it makes you the one thing most of us dream of being: courageous, righteous, and responsive.
Vulnerability is Not Valued
In today’s world, humans have gotten farther away from behaving as living beings and are sustained by a false sense of Self through social media and society. The media projects into our eyes what we are supposed to be—complacent, passive, and…without choice. Revealing outrage or sadness in public, showing empathy towards the homeless, and other similar caring actions are so often decried. Silence in the face of calamity has become the song of the people in most cases.
Worse, society paints vulnerability as a picture of weakness and dependency. Do not believe it. You should never let what society wants you to be—an automaton serving the system—transform you into a shell of a human. We are meant to be vulnerable.
Vulnerability Teaches Us How to be Human
Robots say things. Humans feel things. When you connect your thoughts and feelings to your words or to facial expressions, you are allowing others to see your true self. Others will openly connect with you that way, because you are being viewed as genuine. Trustworthy. Likeable. Understanding that you are human with complex wants and needs is not something be ashamed of. Rather, this acceptance that you have emotions helps you maintain a higher sense of self.
Vulnerability allows humans to be receptive. Not only to internal emotions, but to the energies in constant state of motion circulating all around us. In other words, vulnerability is the basis of our sixth sense.
How to Be More Vulnerable
Opening ourselves up to emotion is frightening. You are literally tearing down your own protection to let the world seep in and fill you up with feelings. If you are typically a well-guarded individual, opening up is not only going to be challenging, it is going to take some serious concentration and commitment.
But once you accept the emotions and realize that that person you are when you emote is who you really are, you will become untouchable. Your state or mind becomes your own. Your energy becomes connected to the world around you, and you begin to understand things that once seemed far too complex.
Use the word “I” often. Begin with “I am,” “I think,” or “I want.” Take responsibility for your needs, wants, and feelings. Decide where you stand then let it be known. By saying, “I want to know more,” or “I don’t understand,” or “I’m not happy,” extricates you from the downward spiral so many people are stuck in.
Who would have thought the vulnerability is a superpower? Vulnerability is an ability that allows you begin to feel and let the world know those emotions, helping you embrace your true self. By holding onto how you think and perceive the world, you unlock potential to view everything with less denial. The world opens up, and the universe meets you with less resistance.
© 2017. ANDREW MORRISSEY. All Rights Reserved.