Every year I choose a word as my theme for the year. This year my word is vulnerability. I thought I was good at being vulnerable when I was working in corporate, but now I realize that I wasn’t taking it to the level that I could have.
Some of you know that I am writing a book right now. Well it has been in the works for over a year now (writing a good book is way harder than it seems!) My book is for leaders to understand that getting results isn’t enough to get ahead if you want to be successful, you need to raise your visibility. The writing process for this book has forced me to look at my vulnerability in a way that I had not expected.
I have shared stories in the past, but this is taking it to the next level. Sharing stories that most people don’t know about me is scary and vulnerable. My hope is that it will help others be able to relate if they have experienced similar situations and know that they are not alone. When I read this great article by Tony Fahkry called, How to Embrace Vulnerability as Your Greatest Strength, it hit home for me because of my experience with writing.
One of his points in the article is, “Similarly, be wary of the ego and its aversion to being vulnerable. The ego likes to protect its image and vulnerability is a crack in its armor. It signifies weakness and will do everything to defend itself. Your greatest triumph will arise when you lean in to your vulnerabilities with openness and compassion.” Any time we try something new, we may feel fear, which is our ego trying to keep us safe. I have felt that fear more times than I can count and had to push through it to demonstrate vulnerability.
I purposely chose vulnerability as my theme this year, because I knew it would help me write this book, be a better coach for my clients and set a good example for my kids. “Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It’s tough to do that when we’re terrified about what people might see or think.” — Brené Brown. Are you ready to be brave and be more vulnerable in your work and your life?