“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity.”…Brené Brown

Love is vulnerability. Happiness is vulnerability. The risk of being vulnerable is the price of opening yourself to beauty and opportunity. Vulnerability became one of my greatest strengths in life; being vulnerable is not about showing the parts of you that are polished; it’s about revealing the unpolished parts you would rather keep hidden from the world.

“It’s about looking out into the world with an honest, open heart and saying, “this is me. Take me or leave me.” …. Unknown

We are all vulnerable, no matter how we much we try to hide it or avoid it. In one way or another we try to conceal our emotional sensitivity and fragility and avoid showing our weaknesses or our emotional wounds to others.

Vulnerability is having the courage to be open and show our true and authentic self and nature to others.  

From my early years, I was able to recognize the feelings and the needs of others. The gift of empathy was passed to me by my affectionate mother. Her love and devotion have been one of the greatest gifts in my life. She taught me how to be sensitive to other people’s pain, feel the softness of their heart and experience their pain.

I also recall a childhood wound that for a long time became a shield of protection for my pain. Right after I was born, my father moved to another country to find work and provide us with a better future. After his early departure, we never saw him again. He passed away, when I was ten years old. Mom, became the only parent around; always surrounding me with much love and protection. However, the absence of my father, along his passing away created within me a fear of abandonment. Turning vulnerability into risk and closing me to outside pain in order to protect the fragile sense of myself.

Over the years, Vulnerability became a comfort zone, one where I felt insecure. I would easily dismiss or hide my pain and close off my feelings. This not only prevented me from feeling my emotions; it also limited me from sharing any flourishing parts within me.

At certain times, I felt like a person who was always wronged. I was unable to release grudges easily, keeping the earlier childhood wound open and this was creating limitations for me towards various relationships.

The story of Achilles, the most powerful of heroes of Ancient Greece became one of the most inspiring stories in my life. Right after his birth, Achilles was dipped into holy water, a form of anointing. Immediately, his entire body became immortal except for his heel. This came back to haunt him as we come to understand what happened in Troy; where his three inches of weakness became responsible for his down fall and death.

Later in life, I learned that having barriers around me, against the feelings of pain and discomfort was not a sign of power but a sign of weakness. I recognized the value of Vulnerability and took the wound of the fear of abandonment into my heart.

This allowed me to recognize my true value as a sensitive human being. By embracing vulnerability, I now had the strength and capacity to show my true and authentic self to others.

My life improved for the best and I started to live the true meaning found in the Greek word for vulnerability, Ευπαθεια ‘ευ and Pαθος. It refers to the Soul’s pathos, something that allows vulnerability to flow like a flower that surrenders and opens up itself to the golden sunlight to allow the earth’s nourishment. And just like the flower, we need to open up to our weaknesses and allow them to flourish, grow, fade and die away. We then begin to understand our deeper nature, the writing on our walls and discover our true Self.

In this writing I would like to share with you five ways that have allowed me to embrace vulnerability, transforming it into power.

1. Open yourself, become a student of your own vulnerability by starting to reveal parts of yourself. What I did first was to acknowledge and accept my feelings of weakness. I then connected them to past limited beliefs and worked towards their transformation. I also began to share any fragile and delicate feelings with those who understood empathy. It immediately brought much healing to my early wounds.

2. Vulnerability is the key to successful relationships. We all need to understand that we live in a world, where the feeling of separation is so thoroughly permeated in our current culture. Perhaps, we’ve all been carefully trained since childhood in the ways of I, me and mine and that makes us protective and insensitive to the needs of others. However, our true connection to others is one of our most basic needs. Being vulnerable allows us to share our pain and needs with others. We are also able to feel and experience the pain of others and this becomes the birthplace for love and deeper relationships.

3. When someone does something wrong, instead of blaming them, stay open and vulnerable. I am not asking you to turn the other cheek, but to understand that no one can hurt you unless you allow them to do so. In my own way, I use clear statements to express my needs, feelings and thoughts. (“I” feel this when that happens” instead of “you made me feel”), this allows a flow of communication without blame and it allows me and the others to stay open to receive feedback without using any defense mechanisms.

This higher level of communication creates open, loving and supporting relationships with others.

4. Taking vulnerability out of my comfort zone improved my performance in many areas of life. I was able to build a sizable business, one that I could not have even imagined. Connecting with others who are sensitive to your needs and are able to embrace your vulnerabilities is very helpful towards accomplishing your goals. It gives you more confidence and becomes a source of true courage.

5. When we choose to live in the present moment and express our true feelings, vulnerability allows a higher degree of affection. I started to show up in love and relationships, letting myself be seen and truly participate in love’s sacred space. To be loved for who you are and to love others with their own vulnerabilities creates one of the most fulfilling relationships in life.

…Love and Light, Dimitrios

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