Vulnerability. We Fear It. But We Need It.

Vulnerability. We fear it. But we need it to press on and live a wholehearted life.

Brené Brown, in Daring Greatly, defines vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.”

The Promise

I made a promise to myself. The promise involves uncertainty. It requires risk. The emotional exposure makes my heart race. The promise—write. Write and publish for 31 straight days. Commit to a daily writing practice. Write articles. Take the next step and hit publish. Show up in the world with uncertainty, risk, and definitely emotional exposure.

I can do this. I have done it before. Then I stopped.

Pressing On.

What forced this promise? The time had come to show up. The pain of holding back exceeded the pain of pressing on.

“What we know matters, but who we are requires showing up and letting ourselves be seen. It requires us to dare greatly, to be vulnerable.”
– Brené Brown

I read every morning. I grab a book about the writing craft, a non-fiction book, or even a rare novel. Why? I want inspiration. The words teach me about the power of clarity and honesty. Sentences or phrases capture my feelings expressing them in ways I could not.

Natalie Goldberg wrote a small, but amazing book, Writing Down the Bones. A line sliced through me this morning. I saw myself in those few words.

“If I’m afraid, my writing’s bent, untruthful to what is real.”
–Natalie Goldberg

My writing suffers when I sit down with pen in hand and allow fear to take hold. Do I know enough? Will anyone find hope or inspiration in my words? Do the words, the story matter? Is it enough?

Letting Go

You may find yourself in this same space. You face vulnerability and muster the courage to stop listening to the voices in your head. Let go of all the “not enoughs.”

Are you an artist? Is there a masterpiece trapped waiting for your hands to brush paint across the canvas? Or do you have a song longing for release for us to hear? Whatever your talent, know you are not alone.

Take the next step along with me. What will emerge from writing every day for 31 days? What I do know is that if I do not show up, I will never know. Uncertainty, risk, emotional exposure? I’m ready to take it on!

And always—