Embrace Vulnerability
Recently I had the pleasure of spending time with my brother and his family in Canada where I am originally from reminiscing about previous vacations, the difficulties (and joys) of raising children, our parents and preparation for old age, in addition to many other awesome topics. The conversations were deep, meaningful and left me feeling even more connected to my brother and his wife.
As I flew back home to Dallas, I couldn’t help but to think about Brene Brown’s TED Talk, The Power of Vulnerability and her new book Rising Strong and how important it is for each of us to accept our own imperfections, admit that we make mistakes, and be vulnerable about where we came from and the goals we’re working to achieve. Through taking ownership of our vulnerability, our customers feel safe to reveal their imperfections after they feel it is safe. As more people take ownership, the collective whole builds momentum and begins to move forward positively by accepting differences and supporting one another in achieving our lives’ unique missions.
Regardless of how you define success, i.e. financial, relationship, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, what is important is that you see yourself as an owner of achieving that success (and not as a victim of past circumstances). The minute you are vulnerable and own the problem, you become the solution. You’ve lost the risk of shame, what others may think about you or the desire to project your inadequacies on others. Instead of avoiding embarrassment or difficult situations, you focus even more on taking the right action to achieve personal success. Simply put, responsibility is your ability to choose your response. As you take responsibility for your life, you begin to see a much bigger picture… and your troubles become increasingly smaller. Success becomes considerably more achievable.
If you’ve read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, you know that humans become what we give our thoughts to. As you age, you evolve, grow, and realize there is no permanent version of you. Your patterns of thought shift over time and you become interested in new things. Taking ownership of achieving your goals, becoming the person you want to be, or being great at anything truly only occurs through continual action and practice. Practice leads you to higher levels of mastery. And, there is no faster route to self-confidence. For some reason, many in our society think that having things or feeling things will deliver happiness… the truth is… doing things make us the happiest. The journey is more important than the destination.
I ask my 1-to-1 coaching clients to write an Intention Statement. Their personal mission. Their why. Their never changing purpose. Many people use language to describe the lives they lead; people who write their Intention Statements are using language to create the lives they lead today and the life they desire.
Be vulnerable, be authentic, and take ownership to achieve the type of success that matters to you and not others. This is the recipe to living a life of meaning and purpose.
Sherri Elliott-Yeary, the Generational Guru and best selling author of Ties to Tattoos, Turning Generational Differences into a Competitive Advantage, is a speaker, coach and trainer in the area of Human Resources and Talent Management. Sherri specializes in helping employers maximize their human capital by collaborating across the generational gap. Her expertise in human capital management and organization includes: workforce planning, company culture, training, assessments, HRIS implementation, regulatory compliance, strategic alignment, payroll, compensation and benefit programs. Learn more at generationalguru.com.