Why Vulnerability Leads to Freedom
Here’s a clue: It doesn’t just help you…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a pretty vulnerable blog post and newsletter entitled ‘The 3 Ways to Beat Frustration’, which contained the open admittance of some of my own short comings and personal life circumstances.
I was blown away how well it was received by those on my mailing list and social media, as I received a few supportive emails and voice mails from people who had resonated with the content and had been impacted by my vulnerable share.
I breathed a sigh of relief as there were a couple of times when I was writing it that I questioned myself, ‘should I share that?’ and ‘is that going to give the right impression to future clients?’ and ‘Does sharing like this make me look weak?’.
I was then reminded by 2 reasons why it is so important to share your vulnerability with others.
1. Freedom For You
I wrote a little poem a couple of years ago after a podcast with Roman, one of my best friends…
‘I have to be me, to be truly free,
You must be you, to be totally true,
We must become one, for our work to be done.’
Adam Stansbury
I think the longing for freedom is at the heart of all human beings, I certainly know that it is for me. So how can I expect to ever experience true freedom if I am not being and sharing my own unique expression with the world.
If I am hiding behind a mask that I think is acceptable to others or that will help me be accepted by society then you are in a cage and you are not free.
Personal freedom comes when you can truly share and express who you are, embracing the light and the dark.
2. Freedom For Others
Someone has to break the ice at some point, go against the grain, and swim against the tide, otherwise we all become stuck in behaviours and choices that just repeat themselves ad infinitum.
The following story is taken from the chapter ‘Vulnerability’ in my book ‘The Journey to the Centre of Your Soul’ and explains why your vulnerability means freedom for others.
“I remember going to my first sober rave in London in 2014 called ‘We Are One’. Tom, the founder, was on stage wearing a glitter ball motorcycle helmet, an all-in-one spandex jumpsuit, and a cape. I always remember him saying over the microphone to the crowd on the dance floor.
“When you fully let go, you give others the permission to let go!”
I let go that night; I danced with more freedom than I ever had at that point without drugs and alcohol. It was so liberating, and at the end of the night, I had several people come up to me and say how my expressive freedom on the dance floor had helped them let go and to be free. It was a beautiful example of how much a strength vulnerability can be to others around you.”
With the way social media operates, showing picture perfect ‘instagramable’ lifestyles, that are not the true reflection of human life, open and honest expression is needed and appreciated right now in the world.
The whole experience that I’m sharing today since writing that newsletter has once again been an important divine signpost for myself and for those of you reading this, that being open and sharing your vulnerability helps not only you to experience true freedom, but it gives others the permission to feel free around you.
This is where true freedom begins, when we are fully open to the flow of life in and out of ourselves.
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