The Beauty of Vulnerability: written by Laura Chartrand
Welcoming people into our lives with open arms and open hearts is a part of our
lives journey. We are given the opportunity to connect with people on a deeper level
while uncovering hidden aspects of ourselves. The secret ingredient in establishing
these authentic connections is vulnerability. Vulnerability is allowing your true
essence to be seen by all those who come into your life. It’s always easier said than
done. If you are a stubborn Scorpio or a guarded person like myself, being
vulnerable can be challenging.
Imagine you are in the middle of a field surrounded by a circle of people, naked and
exposed. They can see every freckle, dimple, birthmark, scar, roll, and muscle. In
desperation you frantically try to cover yourself with you arms and hands.
Preventing anyone from seeing your flaws or aspects of yourself you’d rather
remain hidden. This is how I have pictured myself in the past when it comes to being
vulnerable to others.
The fear of exposure, hurt and judgment haunted me for years. I believed that I was
unworthy of love and feared others wouldn’t accept me. I was consumed by the
notion of rejection and therefore experienced rejection in my relationships. It took
me years to realize that it was “me” who was rejecting myself and not others. I had
manifested these very painful situations that resulted in countless tears and a
broken heart. I was depleted mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
How did this happen? It was years of self-sabotaging and negative self-talk. It was
years of trying to reach perfection but never being able to attain it because there is
no such thing. I was 10 feet underground and had a lot of digging to do to reach the
surface. I needed to change my thought patterns and way of life.
I embarked on my journey of healing by turning to yoga and meditation. I attended
several yoga classes and participated in countless workshops in order to uncover
old wounds and release them. I placed an intention for every practice to be more
open and welcome vulnerability.
After years of practice, working on openness, I began to feel the layers of
sadness and hurt peel away from my tough skin. Meditation fueled my mind and
replaced negative thoughts with positive ones. The negative self-talk turned into
words of affirmation. My once heavy heart was now full, fluttering and beating the
sounds of love.
I was now ready to be in that open field, naked, proud and fully exposed. THIS IS
ME!
I was no longer ashamed, scared or feared rejection. I was ready to connect with
others and open my heart. I was prepared to be vulnerable and risk being hurt.
Every time we begin a relationship with a new love prospect or friendship, we
are given the opportunity to practice vulnerability. This means we are willing to
invest in the relationship without knowing if it will succeed. We choose to live
in the unknown and accept that what is meant to be will be. Whatever the outcome
may be, we are given the opportunity to learn about ourselves and become open to
life’s lessons.
I have chosen to approach new relationships and friendships with vulnerability in
order to allow myself to fully connect with others. I have since experienced love and
lost but the way in which I react has changed. When a relationship does not
succeed, I no longer look at it is as failure or unworthiness of love. My eyes see a
beautiful lesson that has been presented in order to shine light on what areas still
need attention. Every experience has provided me with the opportunity to grow and
understand what I need and want from my relationships.
Give yourself the gift of vulnerability and allow yourself to authentically connect
with others. Be courageous, be open to new experiences and don’t be afraid to shine
your light. Be brave and open your heart and mind and experience the love and
kindness you deserve. A teacher once told me that we are perfectly imperfect, like a
flower. You would never call upon the imperfections of a flower with a missing petal
or bent stem. Instead you see the beauty in the flower despite the imperfections.
“Just be yourself. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful,
magical person that you are.” Mandy Hale
Love and light,
Laura