The last few weeks have been extremely stressful in our country. We have faced immense pressure of immeasurable proportions. In addition, as a family unit, we have been exposed to our pressures – things were literally at a vulnerability boiling point.
In all honesty, I think we have given stress an entirely new definition!
Amidst this, I watched a documentary about answering “Answering the Call to Courage” by Brene Brown. If you believe in fate, well, I think it was fate. That amongst a situation of great stress and chaos really, by accident this documentary is a suggestion to watch. Or perhaps the Netflix AI is just that good!
Be that as it may, it challenged my perceptions about vulnerability, which I, too, was raised to consider a weakness. However, I think this notion is firmly founded in the definition we all know; a vulnerable person is “someone vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally.”
So, the very thing that would make you brave or courageous in the eyes of others, is also the characteristic that leaves you powerless. What a dichotomy?! Well, not so, according to Brene:
“The definition of vulnerability is uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. But vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our most accurate measure of courage. When the barrier is our belief about vulnerability, the question becomes: ‘Are we willing to show up and be seen when we can’t control the outcome?”
Our perception and relationship with vulnerability are completely skewed.
So, what we have experienced in the last few weeks is classified as not being able to control the outcome. Yes, there is uncertainty and in that there is an opportunity to show up and be seen. So, this is a valuable opportunity to be courageous not only in yourself but notably in the economic sense.
So, with that, I move to embrace the vulnerability in full and for everyone who can come together and do something great!
