Brene Brown caused a big stir when she stood up and started talking about her own vulnerability. As she candidly put it in her TED talk, she did not think that she was supposed to feel vulnerable. Only to discover, that she actually was missing out on some of the best of life—namely intimacy—by being unwilling to surrender to being vulnerable. I am so grateful for her efforts to make the world a little more real and a little more humane.

It takes a lot of discipline to open up when you feel threatened but that is just what vulnerability asks us to do. It asks us to let go of our pride –our need to be right—and open to the greater truth of ourselves, the other, and the situation. When we are vulnerable we loose the stranglehold of our lesser selves. Vulnerability requires that we are able rely on a much deeper and stronger part of our self –one that is not caught up in our ego.

Let me describe the process:

It happens all the time! I get myself into a situation where I can feel myself armoring up. I feel judged, disrespected, misunderstood. It does not matter what the specific situation is, really. Just that I can feel it coming on. This intense desire to protect myself -sometimes, at all cost. My heartbeat goes up, my muscles tense, my thoughts start running away, taking my rational self with them.

I know that nothing good can come with this approach but, it is so automatic sometimes. Can you relate?

It takes everything I’ve got to remember that my reaction is causing the problem not protecting me from it. I remember I have nothing to lose but my pride and I let go. My breath deepens. My muscles soften. I can feel my heart open up. NOW, I can make something good happen.

Now let’s break it down step by step:

• Recognize that you are triggered (i.e. having a reaction)
• Stay conscious enough to minimize your reaction and not escalate the situation
• Remove yourself if necessary
• Let off steam if necessary. Vent but recognize that it is not the truth of the situation.
• Look for the real reason you are upset. (hint it has little to do with the situation)
• Give yourself love, understanding, and acceptance.
• Tease out the parts of your experience that are blame, victimhood, and denial. Simply name them for what they are.
• Give yourself love, understanding, and acceptance (You need to keep doing this ☺)
• Remember what you really truly want to see happen with this other person.
• Re approach from that perspective

Why is this important?

I am going to give you two reasons why this is so critical to our overall fulfillment in life. First, we are unable to develop real relationships that are deeply caring and intimate if we do not allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Second, if we need to pretend that we are not vulnerable then our whole life becomes a charade. We have to work all the time to keep up appearances and in short that makes us miserable.

Short and sweet summary: If you want to be happy, learn how to be vulnerable.

Tune into this weeks Real Answers Radio for more on how to create meaningful relationships through vulnerability. The show is always live and your questions are always welcome!