Courageous Vulnerability

Dear Self,

When was the last time you stood in front of the mirror and really took a look at yourself? I’m not talking about those unique physical features of yours; I’m talking about the part of you that’s shaped by your experiences—how you react, feel, interpret and process life.

In a society that often gives vulnerability a bad rap, many of us have learned to hide or deny the truth of our experiences. We wear a mask to navigate the judgment and projections of the world, and we grow so used to it that it stays on, even when we are alone in the comfort of our own homes. But how comfortable are we with ourselves, really?

That mask serves a purpose, doesn’t it? It protects us, keeping judgments at bay and removing any chance for the world to see the raw, imperfect parts of ourselves. But this is where many of us get stuck. We don’t want the world to get too close, and often, we don’t want to get too close to ourselves either. So how do we begin to remove the mask and stop being strangers to our own deep, internal experience?

Courageous vulnerability is about sitting down with ourselves, as we are, allowing that mask to fall away. It is not about overidentifying with our emotional experience—but it’s about exploring it, honestly.

By taking off the mask and being real with ourselves, we unlock a deeper level of intimacy we hadn’t known before. This act of courageous vulnerability gives us the opportunity to access the full spectrum of our humanity and get to know the parts of ourselves that we’ve hidden, ignored, or might have misunderstood. We can finally ask ourselves the questions we haven’t thought to answer before: What do I really need? What am I afraid of? What part of me is asking to be seen, heard, and loved?

When you step into the oasis of HuemanLikeThat, you’re entering a space where the mask is left at the door. Here, we get raw. We get vulnerable. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s a necessary step for us to learn, expand, and evolve. This space is rooted in connection, where we learn to share that gift with ourselves first, and then with others.

So, I invite you to take a moment. Sit with yourself. Ask the hard questions. Notice the parts of you that awaken when the mask falls away. And when you feel ready, I invite you to share your story with us. What does vulnerability with yourself look like? What have you discovered in those naked moments?