Quotes About Vulnerability

we dismiss vulnerability as weakness only when we realize that we've confused feeling with failing and emotions with liabilities.

Owning our stories means reckoning with our feelings and rumbling with our dark emotions—our fear, anger, aggression, shame, and blame. This isn't easy, but the alternative—denying our stories and disengaging from emotion—means choosing to live our entire lives in the dark. When we decide to own our stories and live our truth, we bring our light to the darkness.

What I've found through research is that trust is built in very small moments, which I call "sliding door" moments, after the movie Sliding Doors. In any interaction, there is a possibility of connecting with your partner or turning away from your partner.

First, shame is the fear of disconnection.

If we're always following our children into the arena, hushing the critics, and assuring their victory, they'll never learn that they have the ability to dare greatly on their own.

We are hard on others because we're hard on ourselves. That's exactly how judgment works.

Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They're compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.

Only when we're brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.'" He

When we spend our lives (knowingly or unknowingly) pushing away vulnerability, we can't hold space open for the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure of joy.

I felt totally exposed and completely loved and accepted at the same time (which is the definition of compassion for me).

We feel shame. We think self-esteem. Our self-esteem is based on how we see ourselves—our strengths and limitations—over time. It is how and what we think of ourselves. Shame is an emotion. It is how we feel when we have certain experiences. When we are in shame, we don't see the big picture; we don't accurately think about our strengths and limitations. We just feel alone, exposed and deeply flawed. My friend and

The looming threat of blowback should we voice an opinion or idea that challenges our bunker maters keeps us anxious. When all that binds us is what we believe rather than who we are, changing our mind or challenging the collective ideology is risky.

This is who I am. "This is where I am from. "This is my mess. "This is what it means to belong to myself.

For children, it's easy for everything to become a source of shame when nothing is normalized. You assume that if no one is talking about it, it must be just you.

She was everything I thought she'd be. Fierce and kind. Gentle and tough.

But success and recognition and approval are not the values that drive me. My value is courage and I was just courageous. You can move on, shame.

empathy requires some vulnerability, and we risk getting back a "mind your own damn business" look, but it's worth it.

When we choose growth over perfecton, we immediately increase our shame resilience. Improvement is a far more realistic goal than perfection. Merely letting go of unattainable goals makes us less susceptible to shame.

In order to feel a true sense of belonging, I need to bring the real me to the table and I can only do that if I'm practicing self-love.

the goal is not "getting comfortable with hard conversations" but normalizing discomfort. If leaders expect real learning, critical thinking, and change, then discomfort should be normalized: "We believe growth and learning are uncomfortable so it's going to happen here—you're going to feel that way. We want you to know that it's normal and it's an expectation here. You're not alone and we ask that you stay open and lean into it.

Practicing courage, compassion, and connection in our daily lives is how we cultivate worthiness. The key word is practice.

I think our first response to pain—ours or someone else's—is to self-protect. We protect ourselves by looking for someone or something to blame. Or sometimes we shield ourselves by turning to judgment or by immediately going into fix-it mode.

When we are honest about our struggles, we are much less likely to get stuck in shame. This is critical because shame diminishes our capacity to practice empathy.

I'd rather not be joyful than have to wait for the other shoe to drop.