I am going to take a risk here. You are likely to see me as vulnerable. Until recently, I didn’t know that vulnerability was a quality to aspire to…now I am so relieved!  My awakening to vulnerability is a gift from Brené Brown. (See below for more about her.)  I am deeply grateful for her down to earth understanding of human nature.   What I learned is that vulnerability is an essential ingredient for living the life I want.

When we are vulnerable, we allow ourselves to feel worthy, believing that we are enough, just the way we are.  When we are vulnerable, we discover we belong.  These qualities are priceless.

For most of us, we must cultivate worthiness and belonging.  Brené talks about the direct connection between these qualities and self-compassion.  She is so brilliant at describing it all, I will not attempt to paraphrase.  Let me just say that she has taught me about letting go…letting go of perfectionism, letting go of comparison, letting go of “not being cool.”

Perhaps most importantly, she helped me to know “if we feel lovable and know we belong, then we are more likely to feel the worthiness we already have.”

We often don’t realize how much we are growing until we witness our own awakening.

Last night, I found myself in tears.  It was one of those times, I just needed to cry.  My wife found me curled up, red-faced,uttering  loud sobs.  As she cuddled up to me, I sunk into her arms.  What came next suprised me.  I heard myself say over and over, “You belong, you are worthy. You belong you are worthy”  As I heard this internal voice, I  took the words in, accepting them deeper and deeper in my heart.  I realized, it was the very first time  I ever allowed myself to fully soak up the love and comfort I was being offered.  I had opened my heart and let her in. I felt the worthiness I already had.

This moment revealed an awareness of my inner growth. I witnessed my own vulnerability.  I felt worthy and I belonged.

It doesn’t get any better than that!

Brené Brown, is a research professor at the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work.  I discovered her incredible work and insights listening to her interview with Tami Simons of Sounds True.  She has also been featured on TEDTalk, and Oprah’s Super Soul Sundays.