Power of Vulnerability
“Is vulnerability the same as weakness? In our culture, we associate vulnerability with emotions we want to avoid such as fear, shame, and uncertainty. Yet we too often lose sight of the fact that vulnerability is also the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love. When we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of Daring Greatly
As I sit and reflect about the month of May, one thought pops into my mind – vulnerablity.
When we sat down to press the “launch” button for our Kickstarter campaign at 7:33 am on Wednesday, May 4th, all I could think about was, how I was revealing a deeply personal and difficult time in my life. Not only was the Kickstarter video about my journey of feeling like a failed homemaker, I was also sharing an intimate story about someone whom I love deeply, my son.
During those difficult years, I sought help through many trusted friends. I also explored the work of many people, who wrote about overcoming difficult chapters in their own lives. One of my favorite writers, Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly, shared her insight into the power of vulnerability.
In her book, Daring Greatly, she dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and reveals that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.
Which brings me back to the 4th of May sitting next to my dear sister, Ann, who had spent countless hours helping Jane and me pull together the remaining details of our campaign. Jane sat on the other end of the phone line in Chicago. Together as we pressed the button to launch our campaign, I was overcome by a feeling of vulnerability.
Would we be able to fund our expansion into the larger wholesale market? Would anyone care about us, our mission, our vision? Would anyone care about my story? I realized avoiding the conversation wasn’t an option, since there wouldn’t have been a business without that difficult chapter of my life.
Yet In the moments that followed, that feeling was replaced by immense gratitude as my sister excitedly pulled out her credit card to be our first supporter, only beating out our second supporter, Graham McKay (aka Jane’s husband) by a few seconds.
Jane, Ann and I sat spellbound over the next 60 minutes watching the computer screen as dozens of friends jumped in with a pledge. My heart overflowed with love for each of these people and then for all of the friends of friends and people we didn’t even know that found us on that first day. Twelve hours later we had raised $8,502!
During the next few days when we moved passed our goal and the funds kept coming in we were started to lay the ground work for our next dream.
So as the month comes to a close I have come to believe that your biggest heartbreak is often the clue to your biggest gift. But I also know that neither of them come without leaning into the power of vulnerability.
Meg’s note:
As we enter the final 36 hours of our Kickstarter Campaign I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all of your financial pledges, taking time to share our vision with your friends and words of encouragement. And if you still want to make a contribution it is not too late. Please know that every dollar counts and each one will help us provide opportunity and employment for those in need.
Zen Moment
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
