Have Courage to Be Vulnerable
Perfectionism is a killer. Creativity cannot flourish without allowing shortcomings shored with courage. We need to give ourselves permission to fail. This means encouraging ourselves to become vulnerable.
Vulnerability is scary, but it is also the essence to our true core. What people have said about us and our work in the past and what we worry people will say in the future makes us feel vulnerable. Yet vulnerability, or the acceptance of being vulnerable, is vital to expressing the thoughts that you really feel. Vulnerability is basic to our individuality. To not allow ourselves to be vulnerable is to kill our voice, a death which we can’t allow; your voice is too important.
None of us will be perfect. None of us will be right all the time. None of us will tell a story without a gaping hole in some aspect of the storytelling. None of us will write everything without factual or personal mistakes. So, knowing up front that we will fall short, we need to move forward. Expect to fall short and then, if we don’t, let’s let ourselves be pleasantly surprised, but don’t let the fear of our shortcomings keep us from putting out the work.
All of this comes down to courage: courage to be vulnerable, courage to make mistakes or fall short, courage to not be hurt or damaged by what others might say of our writing, courage – ultimately – to be ourselves.
So how do we do this? How do we find courage to be vulnerable?
From the interior, let’s look at our own demons. Let’s make a list of the things that are holding us back and make a plan of action to overcome them, each and every one, a little each day, those things that are keeping us from expressing the stories we really and truly want to tell.
Then let’s look at the exterior and create a safe and supportive place for ourselves whether that is with our family, our friends, the members of our writing groups, or whatever other community to which we belong. We need to consciously choose to have a supportive community behind us. We also need to consciously choose to eliminate toxic relationships around us, as well.
From the inside and the outside, we need to be free to express who we are with courage to follow through and share our vulnerability. Think of our vulnerability as our trademarks.
We will never be able to change the world if our own fears or the suppression of our own selves hold us back.
Dare to be vulnerable.
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