Knowing Vulnerability = Embracing Courage
“You can't get to courage without walking through vulnerability.”
-Brené Brown
Generally, people really don’t like to be thought of as being vulnerable or having any kind of weaknesses. We don’t like to see ourselves that way, and we don't like others to see us in that light. But whether we like it or not, periodically, we’re forced to admit that we are indeed exposed and sometimes feel unsafe. And truth be told, it’s rather inherent in the nature of being human. We can’t deny it, we’re made of flesh. So, if that’s true for you, and I’m assuming it is, now might just be a good time to embrace that vulnerable side of yours a little, because in embracing our vulnerability we embrace ourselves, and there’s power in that.
When we can understand our vulnerability, we open ourselves up to also know our courage. The two go together, because life has its funny requirements. It asks us to gently see ourselves as both vulnerable and powerful. And to do so provides us the incentive to redirect ourselves back toward a journey self discovery - a discovery of ourselves in the face of, and despite, the circumstances we’re confronting. This is what helps us define our journey of being a warrior, which, deep down, we all are, and from the heart, we all identify with.
To put it another way: in approaching our human traits, we’re presented with a gift. When done with heart, we can re-define our inner strength - a courage within that naturally becomes a partner to the fact that we are indeed vulnerable to this world. Here, living in our feelings of vulnerability, without allowing courage its space, no longer exists as a viable alternative. It dies to us, becoming an old paradigm of living as a victim to life’s circumstances rather than being a willing student of them. It’s through our courage that we can learn and become okay with feeling “out of sorts” or unsafe, because it supports our living a life of believing in ourselves.
Brené Brown says, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” And we could all use a little of that right now. We could benefit from a little creative problem-solving energy moving through us today.
Vulnerability is the great equalizer in our human journey; something we all have in common, because we’re all made of flesh, blood and bones, and we’re all vulnerable to this world. But our question - the question each of us has to ask ourselves - is are we going to allow it to control us? So often, we forget that we’re born in vulnerability; that vulnerable feelings or a vulnerable reality is nothing new to us. They’re the emotions and circumstances that we all need to recognize so that we can choose something different, choose a truth, a strength, a successful point of view. We forget that any one of us can feel overwhelmed with any version of the right-here, right-now. And this is especially important if we’re thinking of letting those emotions “drive our car.” We might neglect seeing that a current struggle is similar to another problem that we’ve successfully stepped beyond many times before. And so we feel vulnerable, forgetting to bring courage into the room. We settle into fear because we’ve forgotten ourselves, we’ve forgotten that we are survivors, forgotten that we know how to live life with courage, and that we’re meant to be successful in our world. So we end up feeling and living in a vulnerable place.
But your ultimate question will always be, “How do you want to define yourself?” Are you vulnerable or are you courageous? And the truth of it is… you’re both. To define yourself through the healthy balance of that understanding, the knowledge that you are neither your strength nor your weakness but the healthy balance, the loving acceptance between the two… this is where you find your most full human identity. This is where we remember all the parts of ourselves and hold what’s most important.
This is as true in this moment as it is every day of our lives. Never forget that you were born a warrior, that there’s a courage that lives through you and a vulnerability that helps you know what it is to be truly human. They both help us find definition, and our lesson is to learn how to use them well. It’s a truth for all of us. There’s no reason to doubt your struggle, or the strength that exists within you to step beyond it. We’re put here to remember what we are, to know our truth, and the circumstances that present themselves simply provide us the capacity to explore that.
This didn’t begin with courage. It began with struggle and vulnerability, but it will end with courage. It will end with our understanding, our wisdom, and our courage. Because although it’s normal that we might experience fear, never forget that we are all far stronger than our fear.
Fear and vulnerability simply bring a message. It’s courage that helps us receive and respond to it in a healthy way.