Does being vulnerable mean that your weak? Does it make you less desirable in relationships and in the workplace? Growing up, it was always being drilled into my head that I needed to be strong and brave. Being successful meant being fearless and never letting my guard down. Strength meant never crying or having breakdowns.
So naturally, I thought that being vulnerable was a sign of weakness. There was no such thing as letting my guard down, at least not if I wanted to be a successful business woman. Working in a male dominated field right after college definitely didn’t help the situation. All throughout my young adulthood, I carried this mental weight (and boy was it heavy). I could never share the stresses or failures that came along with running a business and trying to manage a household. This is not the way, my friend. It’s not healthy and it’s not productive.
I was extremely young when I had my son and got married. Imagine having a child right after high school and getting married right after college. Who does that (more people than you know)? I had a full-time job and family before I ever got a chance to really know myself. Most of my friends were care-free and enjoying life so there was no one I could openly share my frustrations with.
I was in my 30’s before realizing that being vulnerable and sharing my feelings were a productive way of coping and that there was nothing wrong with expressing how I felt. It’s liberating to express how you feel (in an intelligent, adult way, of course). Keeping things bottled up will send you down a path of destruction if you’re not careful. So I encourage you to find someone that won’t judge you, someone that shares similar struggles and someone that also needs a non-judging friend. If you have no idea who to talk to, check out my online community. It’s a safe, no judgement zone for women looking to be heard and find answers that will guide them to their own personal success.
Stay tuned for my next post on how to be vulnerable.
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