Kelly Li

A few friends had sent me this over the past couple of days, and I finally had a chance to sit and listen to it. Brene Brown discusses “The Power of Vulnerability” at TEDxHouston. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s definitely worth a listen. It definitely struck a chord with me.

Vulnerability is one of those feelings that we usually try and limit because it’s so closely linked to the potential to feel pain and disappointment. Though that may be true, the ability to be fully vulnerable… as Brown says is,

“…the willingness to say ‘I love you.’ first. The willingness to do something with no guarantees. The willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out…”

I would personally like to add in that being vulnerable means to give of yourself without a guarantee of getting the same amount in return.

There have been few but existing times in my life where I have been the one to care more, to give more, to feel more. You’re always scared when that’s the case - when you’re the one to do so because then you feel vulnerable. It’s easier to feel the sting of heartache because it means you’ve given away a part of yourself that you hope the person who now has it will nurture instead of break.

The results aren’t always positive. Sometimes you will feel that heartache (probably even more than the other person). But what I’ve come to realize is that although you feel the bad with such intensity, allowing yourself to be vulnerable allows you to feel the good with the same intensity. I’m sure we’ve all reached points before where we simply felt numb to the things that bring us pain, but to feel numb is to feel nothing at all.

Life is all about moments - good, bad, and sometimes indifferent. It’s an amalgamation of all these pieces that somehow all fit together in ways that we usually can’t even imagine. Personally, I’d rather let myself be seen, be fully seen for who I am rather than what I’m not. I’d rather love with my whole heart instead of just part of it because that means I have the ability to truly love and receive love. I’d rather be vulnerable and feel everything (sometimes simultaneously) rather than nothing at all.