In this wonderful talk Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability. On one side of vulnerability lie fear, shame, and a feeling of lack of worthiness. Yet on the other side of vulnerability are joy, love, and a sense of connection with others. Being vulnerable makes us uncomfortable. But if we allow this discomfort to terrify us then we fall on the wrong side of vulnerability and we land in a place of fear and shame. However if we show courage and not allow our discomfort to overpower us we break into connection, joy, and love.
Vulnerability is not weakness. In fact the definition of courage is the ability to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is also the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change. However when we fall on the wrong side of vulnerability into fear and shame, the it is not right to try to numb ourselves to reduce our pain. For when we do this we shut ourselves to joy and love too. We make permanent our feeling that we are not worthy enough to feel joy and love, or to feel connected with others. So how do we come out of this? How do we tap into the power of vulnerability and break free into joy and love?
What Brene implies but does not directly say is that vulnerability happens when we try to step out of the clutches of our ego. Vulnerability happens when we let down our guard and allow our ego-driven defenses to come down. The key to tap the power of vulnerability is to reduce the size of our egos. When our egos are small we have less to lose. It is easier to get back up after a disappointment and the pain of disappointment is much more manageable. This is where yoga comes in because yoga reduces our ego. It connects us to our authentic self and gives us courage to become vulnerable and tap into its power.
Related:
NPR coverage of Brene Brown’s talk