🔼: [[⭐️ Emotions]] ##### ☀️ Vulnerability[^1] What we feel when we’re [[🕯️ Authenticity|authentic]] and [[🔑 Tell and act the truth|🔑 telling the truth]] despite uncertainty, risk, emotional exposure, and being unable to control the outcome. It’s choosing to not hide our [[⭐️ Emotions]], [[💡 Desires|Desires]], and [[⭐️ Needs]] from others — we aren’t guarding ourselves. It doesn't mean being weak, just revealing what we're struggling with, being unguarded or exposed — which our [[💡 Protector Parts|Protector Parts]] don’t particularly enjoy even in our closest [[⭐️ Relationships]]. But allowing people to see our messiness is what helps us build deeper [[☀️ Connection]] and security. There's a distinction to be drawn between Vulnerability and Openness. When we're being open about something, we can talk about it easily. It doesn't feel scary or risky to share, we've already processed and accepted or worked through it. It might seem vulnerable on the outside, but for us it's not particularly vexing to voice. Openness is where we've been and what we've processed; vulnerability is where we are and what we're going through. Our current Growth Edge. Vulnerability is different. It's raw and can be messy or jumbled and we might feel uncertain or like we might not make sense. We might feel a mix of challenging emotions about sharing it, like embarrassment or shame or confusion. We can’t know [[🕯️ Love]] or [[☀️ Courage]] without vulnerability. We [[💡 Protector Parts|Protect]] ourselves in ways that guarantee we’ll never get what we want. **We want to be vulnerable**. We can only be seen as deeply as we are willing to be vulnerable. - We can't [[💡 Mind-Reading|Read Minds]] - Being vulnerable with someone can feel like giving them power over us. - [[We can't for sure know what another person is feeling]]. - [[🔑 We can never fully know a person]] - 🔑 Vulnerability is a strength - It's near-impossible to fully know how [[🔑 There is nothing wrong with us|normal and sane we all are]] when we hide from each other. - [[🔑 Speak for the vulnerability]] - [[🔑 Tell and act the truth]] - [[🕯️ Hoponopono]] ###### Examples of Vulnerability - Saying “I love you,” first. - Coming out to people you care about. - Admitting to loving someone despite having your heart broken in the past. %% When we felt the most hurt and rageful and spiteful and angry we may have been shamed and sent away or punished or abandoned or physically or verbally wounded, when what we really needed was for our vulnerability to be met with tender compassion, grace, and forgiveness. We needed to be brought in closer, called home to love. But we were shamed and sent away — exiled. The opposite of protection is vulnerability. Vulnerability is required for connection. Connection is one way we create safety and trust. If we’re not connected, it’s hard to trust. If we can’t trust, it’s easy to assume the worst of people. Vulnerability’s protection is integrity, it keeps our heart open; it isn't loving to allow others to take advantage of you, love is not passivity. Success can survive without integrity, but without integrity you cannot survive success %% ###### See Also - [[💡 Emotional Availability]] [^1]: [[📖 ✅ Atlas of the Heart (Show)]] Episode 2