Empowerment Through Vulnerability
Whether it is a new year, a season, or a birthday, each milestone acts as a period of reflection: natural alarms that remind us to take inventory on where we currently are in our lives and where we want to be.
Moments of clarity surface on what big goals, passion projects, or visions you have that are top of heart, and what action steps are necessary to take in order to bring you one step closer to achieving them.
As you embark on these action steps, you are gaining speed and feeling the inspiration, motivation, and energy that comes from following a path your heart led you on. This part of the journey has been a personal one for you: something you may have shared with one or two select loved ones, or one that someone else has naturally caught on to, but the start of it, is something sacred, something you have kept close to your chest.
It is your journey and you need to get familiar with it first.
Then comes the seemingly daunting part: making your personal journey a public one. Taking your love of baking to the big leagues: opening a bakery and announcing to family and friends (& strangers) that you’ve secretly been playing Ina Garten in your kitchen for the past year and are taking a leap of faith in opening a storefront.
That you have to share with the world something that is so special to you.
You suddenly find that something that has brought you so much hope and drive, has turned a corner and is suddenly making you feel nervous and vulnerable.
According to the great Dr. Brené Brown, in her book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead, vulnerability is described as “uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure; it is the unstable feeling when one steps outside of their comfort zone and does something that forces us to loosen control.”
There is no doubt that being vulnerable can be uncomfortable. Putting out into the Universe the decisions or changes that you have decided to make in order to improve your quality of life can be nerve-racking. Questions may surface for you “What will they think?” “Will they accept the decision I made to quit my corporate job and open a bakery?” “Will they roll their eyes at me when I decide to become a yoga instructor?”
They may not understand your journey because it is yours andyours alone.
Simply put, it isn’t theirs to understand.
Vulnerability is a natural emotion that surfaces during meaningful growth. It is a sign that you are headed in the right direction; that you are choosing to be brave, to be courageous, and stand by the decisions you have made. To stand in your power and be proud of all that you have accomplished.
Don’t let vulnerability stop you from opening your own version of a bakery. Let it empower you to keep going.
Choose to be vulnerable and choose to be brave.
- Alexandra
Alexandra Mullen is an enthused writer and Empowerment Coach. She is a self-nurturing focused, light-hearted blogger who is gaining recognition from global authors she features.
When she isn’t writing or working with her incredible clients, you can find her buried in Self-Help Books at Barnes & Noble, playing on the ground with her baby girl, Teddy, or listening to Frank Sinatra while cooking pasta dishes with the love of her life, Conor.
You can learn more about her journey here.