Sometimes we're so afraid to be honest, to be vulnerable - and I get that, I get it so much. The night I met my boyfriend, mustering up the courage to tell him I wanted to get to know him but I didn't want to go home with him was literally the most terrifying thing in the world. I had such a fun night with him; I didn't want to ruin everything by making it sound like I wasn't interested. BUT ultimately, I knew I wanted something more than just a hookup. So I was vulnerable. And clear. And honest.⠀
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And it was scary. Because I could be rejected, laughed at, or completely ignored from that moment forward. I took a risk, though, because I figured if he was anyone I'd really want to get to know, he'd respect my boundaries. I'd rather be vulnerable and lose, than not be myself/do something I didn't want to do.⠀
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And you know what? Three weeks later, we were sipping beers in my kitchen talking about our lives and he kissed my forehead and told me he had so much respect for me since that night, since I put myself out there and told him how I felt.⠀
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Little did I know at the time we first met, he was getting ready to start his career, which would put him in different places around the country (and in a long distance relationship with someone - if he even found a someone - neither of us were really looking at the time). But the fact that I had been vulnerable with him and presented my true self that night gave him the confidence to really pursue me right back, and to know that even when we would be thousands of miles apart, we could trust each other.
This is just my little story to share the importance of vulnerability. It's scary. It's embarrassing (I mean, leaving a bar and having to tell a guy you just met you don't want to sleep with him can be kinda awkward tbh). But it's those moments we learn one another, we grow, we figure out who we are and whether we're on the same page as someone else - it's invaluable, really.⠀
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So I encourage you today - tell people how you feel, go after things that matter to you, be vulnerable, be honest, be real, be YOU.