Why I Am Willing To Be Vulnerable

A friend and teacher of mine, the marvelous Denise Sheehan of Sage Spirit, shared an enquiry about vulnerability earlier this week, and it has been much on my mind. 

Maria Nemeth, another of my great teachers, taught me in coaching school that to be vulnerable is:

“To allow the winds of life to blow freely over your soul. To let life in, on life's own terms. To be vulnerable means you realize there is nothing to protect.”

Learning from the trees....

This has been my experience, particularly of late. For me, it is both an act of doing, and an act of doing nothing. It can mean standing firm, standing my ground as life comes swirling in around me, with a toughness, a fierceness. It can mean swaying like a tree in the breeze. But, always, always, it is the latter piece that characterizes either of these two faces of mine as those of being willing to be vulnerable: realizing there is nothing to protect, not really, and nothing to protect it from, and letting it go, letting it all flow in, realizing all is truly well.

For so many of us, we experience fear, anger, aggression the moment the word “vulnerable” comes into the space. We throw up our metaphorical armor and get ready for a fight. As if the mere word conveys weakness, or terror, or something attacking us, or worse. For me, as I walk this path, being vulnerable is exactly the opposite. For me now, I see it as an opportunity for expansion, for growth, for leaning into what life presents. I see it as the doorway to fulfilling my soul mission. What a difference a little can’t-sir can make in your life.

What does “to be vulnerable” mean to you?
How have you typically experienced the state of “vulnerability”?
If this pattern no longer serves, would you be willing to shift to something that does?