Here’s a short story before this week’s Being Brave Challenge.
Many people are scared of being vulnerable with others. It can be terrifying to show your true self. There’s so much fear of being judged, being a burden, looking silly, or getting rejected. If this is how you feel, too, it’s understandable.
My own fears kept me from opening up to friends about how I felt or even what hobbies I enjoyed. Many of you know that I was scared to tell anyone that I am a Reiki healer and clairvoyant for years. It felt like a secret that only a select few in my circle knew about me, and even then, I barely spoke about it.
An important goal for my journey was to find my voice. That meant I needed to open up to others about my interests and real feelings. Amazingly, when I finally started to do this last year, people really began embracing me.
Suddenly there was the curiosity, companionship, and incredible conversationsthat I’d been longing to have in my life. I finally feel like people know the real me.
Sure, not everyone was receptive, but that was okay for those “friends” to drop off. I was tired of pretending to be someone else to make other people happy.
All of this bravery didn’t happen overnight, however. I had to take a bunch of baby steps to build up the courage I have now. It started with sharing tiny bits and pieces of my story and my interests with friends.
The more I practiced sharing, the easier it became. Now I can tell a lot of my story and interests proudly, knowing it will hopefully help others and/or build stronger friendships.
Even still, I was terrified to send out the last newsletter this week, because it tapped into some strong emotions that have taken a long time to heal (and aren’t quite healed yet). Thanks to those of you who wrote me kind words back about it.
If I can do it, you can do it, too.
This leads us into the Being Brave Challenge for this week: be a little vulnerable.
Caption: The first time I announced about being a Reiki healer was 3 years after my first training. I was terrified to write this post, but people were supportive and I started getting paying clients right away!
The Being Brave Challenge – Week 4
Pick one person with whom to share a small secret, feeling about a situation, or general emotion you’ve had lately. Choose someone that you trust.
If you have a hard time trusting anyone, pick a person that you relate to the most.
Tell them something that’s a little scary for you to talk about, but isn’t life shattering if for some reason it gets out. Let’s be positive that this person will be trustworthy and keep your conversation private.
After you’ve shared, reflect on how you feel.
- Did the person receive the information well and respect you?
- Did they have a relatable story?
- Do you feel like you connected at a deeper level with them?
Learning to be vulnerable and trust others can be really difficult, but taking little steps like this really can open up your world to better friendships.
As always, send me your stories about the challenge and how it went!
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