Vulnerability sucks. There’s probably a better way to say that, but that’s how it can feel sometimes. For example, every time I invite someone in, be it on my blog, my Wellness Wednesdays, in my yoga classes, on social media, or share my business, there’s some vulnerability in that. I’m sure you have similar examples of vulnerability at work, in your relationships, or maybe even in building a business. The problem with vulnerability though, is “you have to feel it, to heal it.” Let me say that again…

“You have to feel it, to heal it.”

I learned that from a teaching by Melissa Ambrosini, a fellow Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. We spend so much time hiding our true selves from people instead of sharing how we truly feel, what we truly want, and what we truly believe. We ignore our feelings and suppress tears or pain as a form of protection. Call it vulnerability or fear, either way, it’s far cry from who you were put on this earth to be, to do, and to have. Suppressing who you are out of fear of being vulnerable will keep you from the life you want, from the relationship you want, from the family you want, from the business you want.

The only way through the tunnel is to follow the path and embrace all that comes with it. So yes, you will fail, yes, you will struggle, yes, you will get tired, yes, it may hurt, and yes, you may fall down again, but if you take the time to fully experience each of those and learn from it, the light in the tunnel gets a little brighter every time.

If you read my Motivation Monday this week, you know I quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

You can read the post and like the image here.

In order to be yourself, you will have to be vulnerable. You will have to “feel it, to heal it.” The more you act against fear and vulnerability, the less it will bother you. You become less sensitive to the things that once terrified you. You become less worried about other people’s opinions and more worried about creating the life you were meant to have. Less worried about the status quo or trying to fit in. Less concerned about keeping up with the Jones’ or finding common ground in a sea of sameness.

Instead, you become more interested in you than what other people think about you. You become more comfortable being vulnerable. You thrive and expose your inner light instead of allowing other people to dim it. You still fall down, but you get up faster, you still have failures, but you use them to your advantage, creating new strategies and finding another way. You still struggle, but you create boundaries to keep out the negative self-talk and stay focused on your dreams.

You truly can have it all, but you will have to get vulnerable. That’s the problem with vulnerability, you have to feel it, to heal it….

And if it makes you feel any better, know there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. After all, “pain comes with penthouse views….” – Jay-Z.

Talk soon,