Is vulnerability weakness or is it strength, actually?
Vulnerability exposes your weaknesses.
Therefore it exposes you. The real you, complete you: which is not just a fragmented, “perfect” you — but one which is complete: including your weaknesses.
Therefore vulnerability exposes you to criticism.
Therefore it exposes you to the (UN)TRUTH.
It exposes you to to the possibility of being INVALIDATED, to the possibility of being proven wrong — and thus getting closer to the truth.
AND
And it also exposes you to attacks.
Vulnerability exposes your weaknesses,
Your exposed true, flawed image is less flattering then your idealised image. Therefore is incurs damage, your ego incurs damage.
And your exposed weaknesses invite attack. You showed your weakness — now the sharks can go after you.
Therefore vulnerability exposes you to REAL RISK, REAL CONSEQUENCES.
Therefore it is REAL SKIN IN THE GAME.
That for which you actually RISK is REAL. That for which you don’t risk is not real.
That for which you don’t risk is not real.
THERE CAN BE NO TRUTH WITHOUT THE CONSEQUENCES.
“Truth” without consequences is truth without context. It serves no purpose. TRUTH has to relate to your life. LIVING THE TRUTH has to have tangible consequences. Otherwise it’s no truth — it’s just a cool story
But BEING VULNERABLE exposes you to REAL RISKS — therefore you are honoured with an opportunity to receive actual truth, to ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING, TEST YOURSELF, and become better, become STRONGER.
The opposite is true too, and in in the worst way:
By concealing your weaknesses, you gain short term (protect yourself from immediate attacks) — but LOSE LONG TERM — by divorcing yourself from the truth. Divorcing yourself more and more.
Perhaps the most insidious trap is when you believe you’re actually strong — by constantly DEMONSTRATING STRENGTH — when in reality — you’re never revealing weaknesses — thus NEVER TRULY EXPOSING YOURSELF TO neither CHALLENGE nor TRUTH.
Thus never truly becoming stronger.
And if you’re not becoming stronger — then you’re actually atrophying.
While delusionally believing more and more the illusion of your strength and grandeur.
It’s a terrible tragic vicious circle.
And eventually you become a loud caricature — all appearances and no substance.
FUCK ALL APPEARANCES. Appearances are toxic.
Be VULNERABLE instead.
Be VULNERABLE instead.
Of course it has to be REAL.
For something to count as “weakness” — it has to be something you are striving to improve (or would be striving to improve, if it was possible),
It has to be something that IF REVEALED — will potentially put you at risk
If it’s something you actually don’t care about — then it’s not truly vulnerability, is it? It involves no risk then.
It’s not about what others consider a weakness — it’s about what you consider a weakness (you believe is unsatisfactory about you, and potentially inviting attack), OR what actually is a weakness (=will actually have negative consequences, if revealed)
Therefore,
Vulnerability actually gives you an opportunity to LEARN THE TRUTH,
And the REAL truth — truth for which you’ll suffer, for which you’ll actually RISK something — therefore truth which will actually relate to your world, have purpose — therefore BE REAL, and not a story
THEREFORE vulnerability gives you an opportunity to improve, to become STRONGER
Opportunity you will actually be compelled to take — because you already are TAKING RISK for it. You already have skin in the game.
Therefore
VULNERABILITY MAKES YOU STRONGER
VULNERABILITY IS STRENGTH
Therefore REVEALING YOURSELF, BEING VULNERABLE, OWNING WHO YOU ARE — is AS POWERFUL AS THE ACTION ITSELF,
Both involve actual investment, actual skin in the game, actual risk
Thus both are transformative
To grow you challenge yourself. To become stronger you challenge yourself
I of course recommend challenging oneself ALL THE TIME from EVERY ANGLE:
-TRYING MILLION THINGS
–DOING SOMETHING NEW ALL THE TIME
-BEING GOOD AT VERY MANY THINGS
-CONSTANTLY BEING HUMBLED
Most challenges will naturally come from AIMING HIGH. But some you can deliberately INTRODUCE into your life.
E.g. similar to lifting weights. Conquering the world today doesn’t really require strong muscles — but it’s an interesting angle to challenge oneself from.
Now, with this text, I also recommend DELIBERATELY CHALLENGING yourself by REVEALING ONESELF TO THE WORLD, more and more intimately
Not online, mind you. Online is not real.
IN REAL WORLD
Hopefully your life exposes you to judgemental strangers and ruthless negotiations. Whether it does or doesn’t — you still stand to benefit from extra CHALLENGES of PUTTING ONESELF OUT THERE.
Because it makes you vulnerable
Which reveals the truth
The real truth — truth for which you’ll suffer: suffer judgement, suffer loses to your pride and ego, potentially even actually suffer,
And this is how you actually learn
And this is how you actually become stronger
Therefore
Be vulnerable
Be vulnerable, become strong