Daring to be vulnerable

We are only a few days into the new year and some of you have probably already failed to stick with your New Year’s resolutions…but don’t worry, here are 6 reasons why it’s okay to fail:

📍 Failure is inevitable.

📍 You learn substantially more from failure than success.

📍 Failure makes you stronger.

📍 You take more chances when you’re unafraid to fail.

📍 Failure allows you to discover new paths.

📍 Failure makes success that much sweeter.

To debunk some myths about vulnerability, we are going to talk about one of the top ten most viewed TED talks in the world today:

Vulnerability is basically uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. It's that unstable feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone or do something that forces us to loosen control (Daring Greatly by Brené Brown).

There are so many examples of successful entrepreneurs who failed a great deal on their journey. Take Myshkin Ingawale who, after learning about the unbelievable and unnecessary maternal child death rate in rural India, decided to do something about it. He wanted to develop technology that was effective and efficient at testing for anemia in pregnant women. In his Ted Talk in 2012 he said; “I wanted to solve this problem so I invented something that would do it.” The audience burst into applause. Then he said, “But it didn’t work.” You could feel the let down in the room. Then he smiled and said, “So, I made it 32 more times and they all failed.” But finally a smile slid across his face and he said, “The 33rd time worked and now deaths are down 50%” (Forbes, 2013).

Or check out this Princeton Professor’s CV of failure and realize that we all experience failure on the way to success. We can benefit from being a little more open about our failures with others, and realizing that even our idols aren't perfect can be a big help when it comes to getting through our own life.

As you go out there now and practice "daring greatly" in your own life, here are some things to keep in mind:

📍 Recognize that facing vulnerability takes enormous courage. Take small steps (like asking someone what they are thinking) and be proud of your bravery when you do.

📍 Let go of the constant worry about what other people think of you. Most people are focused on their own internal struggles, not you.

📍 Feeling overwhelmed? Focus your attention gently on your breath and the sensations in your body for a few moments before returning your attention back to the task at hand.

📍 Don't worry about being perfect-in fact, don't even consider it. No one is perfect, and the more you hold yourself to an impossible ideal, the more easily you will give up.

So always remember; when you shut down vulnerability, you shut down opportunity.