Vulnerability as a Catalyst for Personal Growth

Let’s All Join Brene Brown and Let the World See us as We Are

5 min readMar 12

When you think about the word “vulnerability,’’ you can often associate it with negative connotations such as being weak or emotional.

I used to associate vulnerability as a form of weakness. Yet, I’ve come to accept and embrace my vulnerability.

I’ve also learned that being vulnerable does not have to be a form of shame but it can indeed be a superpower in your personal growth journey.

Here are my tips on how your vulnerability can be a catalyst for your development!

Vulnerability Helps You to See Yourself Clearly

I’ve gone through moments of sadness and disappointment in my life. I’ve gone through moments where I’ve felt not good enough. Moments where I didn’t feel seen and it almost seemed as though my life had no value.

Being vulnerable helps me to get out of those dark moments because then I get to question myself. Question my thoughts. I get to question where I’ve gone wrong and what’s needed for me to do better.

Being vulnerable led me to admit I’m not okay. To admit I need support, which led me to therapy and to understand myself better. To understand how my flawed perception of myself was affecting every area of my life.

Now over to you, being vulnerable is not easy but sometimes, it is needed in order for you to get to clarity. If you are not feeling okay, admit it. If you are sad, that’s okay. Be sad and get some help to figure out how to not be buried in sadness.

You can’t get the help and change that you need if you are not willing to first admit that “hey, this hurts.” or “hey, I can’t do it all by myself.” When you admit these things to yourself, then the doors open to how to get the solution. How to take the step forward.

Emotions Can Be a Guide towards What Matters Most to You

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When I’m vulnerable with myself, I admit where my passion is. When I’m vulnerable with myself, I admit what I care about most.

I remember in college wanting to add “women’s studies,’’ as a minor and someone said, “why, don’t they all just sit around and complain?” Back then, I felt insecure about my love for feminism.

Even when I was hosting events on campus, some people would say “who cares?’’ But then I didn’t know how to respond. I said nothing but now, I can tell you that I Care.

When you are vulnerable, you are okay with doing what matters to you even if it does not make sense to anyone else because deep down you know that this is where your heart is at. That is where your joy is at.

Admit to yourself where your joy is at and then go after what lights you up.

Being Vulnerable Fosters Stronger Connections and Support

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When I’m vulnerable, I’m able to connect with those around me because of that level of honesty and transparency, especially as it pertains to my immediate family.

When I can admit the areas that I’ve struggled with in my life such as loneliness or career setbacks, then I can better connect with others because my family is that emotional support that can encourage me. They remind me of who I am when I can’t see who I am.

Being vulnerable helps me to connect more with them and it fosters a better bond. Even outside of my family, being honest about my pain points through writing opens me up to connecting with like-minds and this is needed for connection. This is needed because we are all human and it matters for us to know that we are not alone in the world.

I state this because sometimes what hinders our personal growth is that we don’t have the right connections and a support system.

Vulnerability strengthens your connections and support system because of the bond it creates when you can be real with others.

Take baby steps to tell parts of your truth that you are ready to someone you can trust and see how that can foster a sense of connection in your life whether it’s between family or friends.

Being Vulnerable Encourages You to Do Better

When you are most vulnerable with yourself, you can see where your shortcomings are and that helps you to know the areas in your life where you need to work on yourself.

Being vulnerable encourages you to take the steps needed to improve.

For example, when you are vulnerable, you can admit your bad habits such as being late, not keeping up with your fitness goals or not making smart decisions with your money.

Then this enables you to figure out how you can make a change in the right direction!

Final Thoughts

I don’t always like to share my thoughts and feelings. It can be hard to let people in because you don’t always know whether it would be worth it. So I get it when I tell you that being vulnerable is difficult.

It’s like having a wound or scar and opening it up for someone else to see. You don’t know what their reaction might be and that’s so scary because the outcome could be painful…but I’m learning that being vulnerable also leads to beautiful moments.

Beautiful moments enable you to see things differently. Beautiful moments allow others to truly see you. Moments for you to connect in ways that are meaningful and also moments for you to cry a lot, laugh out loud and simply give yourself a break.

So go ahead and peel the layers off yourself.