Vulnerability is…

There has been a lot of talk around vulnerability lately.

I blame Brené Brown.

Okay, not JUST Brené Brown, but she’s probably the most famous one at this point. She gives talks about vulnerability all the time. They are really, really good talks. She speaks from the heart. She lays bare all her flaws. She challenges everyone else to do the same.

And people love it. And they love her. And everyone leaves promising themselves and each other that they will be more vulnerable to get past that fear, that they will have a strong back and a soft front, because there is power in vulnerability.

Then people go back to their daily lives, where there a whole bunch of other people who have never heard of Brené Brown who think vulnerability is a weakness and that you have to suck it up and show a brave face. And so, the idea of living a life of true vulnerability (like Brené Brown) is abandoned. It just seems too daunting and overwhelming, and besides – just getting through the workday is hard enough without worrying about whether you were vulnerable enough, right?

Here’s the thing – I think most people live lives of vulnerability all the time, just in different ways. They don’t call attention to it, they just do it.

Vulnerability is….

• Standing up for a coworker
• Just eating the damn cake without apologizing for it
• Crying when you’re upset
• Sharing when you’re nervous
• Wearing that red pair of shoes because you feel amazing in them
• Dressing up for Halloween, even though the “cool kids” will make fun of you
• Reading a romance novel at lunch in the cafeteria
• Posting updates about how you had to evacuate your home
• Sharing your love of goofy movies
• Asking for help on a project
• Giving a friend a hug when they need it
• Admitting you were wrong
• Going to the grocery store with small kids and an even smaller budget
• Traveling to an unfamiliar place
• Granting grace to someone…especially yourself
• Being different

Recognize any of these? In others? In yourself? Vulnerability happens EVERY. DAMN. DAY. We just don’t always recognize it or appreciate it when it happens.

So how will you embrace the vulnerability in your life? How will you define it?

Because guess what –

Vulnerability IS.