Revealing Our True Selves
We walk and talk with our guard up, often afraid to speak truthfully from the heart. Our mind has trained us to believe certain things are bad for us such as failure and vulnerability. Without realizing it we control ourselves every day, trying to keep us safe, yet by doing so we never truly live our gift.
By becoming vulnerable and sharing all of ourselves, even the parts we’re not most proud of, we tap into our greatest strengths. Embracing vulnerability means we must embrace all of ourselves, confront our fears, and openly talk about shame. By doing so we can acknowledge and fully accept who we are and release the power those fears had over us.
Being vulnerable doesn’t mean you’re a coward, it means you’re courageous.
“The original definition of courage is to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.”—Dr. Brene Brown.
Having courage means loving your whole self with all the imperfections and letting go of who you think you should be so that you can be your authentic self.
When we allow ourselves to become vulnerable and reveal our authentic self we also allow wholehearted connections. As humans we relate to what is real and authentic. It inspires us to share ourselves when we see someone doing the same thing. Being authentic and vulnerable not only allows us to live our unique gift, it inspires others to live their unique gift as well!
“Be honestly and unapologetically you. Because you being uniquely you will allow the people you interact with to feel comfortable being uniquely them—perhaps for the first time in their lives. There is no more authentic way to connect and no greater gift to give.”—Scott Dinsmore
So as part of the practice we teach to reveal our true selves in hopes of inspiring and connecting more deeply with our students, each month one of our instructors will embrace vulnerability and dare greatly to share their true selves.
Rebecca Zulueta’s examples for revealing her true self to connect with others- 2 Fears and 2 Facts
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I sometimes have an overwhelming case of stage fright. When I was 17 years old I had to host this program along with another person in front of hundreds of people. The scriptwriters waited until last minute to hand me what I was supposed to read and once I got out onto the stage I froze. My throat closed up and I started coughing. I couldn’t muster a single word out for what seemed like minutes. Eventually I was able to muddle through the rest of the night. As an adult I seem to have gained better control at calming myself down, but even if outwardly I don’t show my nervousness I can sense my body reacting.
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I am often so worried about failing that I will hold myself back from doing something for years! For over 4 years now I have realized that I wanted to create something on my own. An organization that focused on bringing communities closer to nature and supported conservation efforts. While I dreamt of different ways to go about this they have only been dreams until I started to gather up more courage to make things a reality last year. While I’m still in the development phase I’m finally making small steps towards that reality even though it has been years that I’ve sat on my ideas.
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I’m a closet dancer. Since I was young I was in dance classes ranging from ballet to hip hop funk! It was the first thing I ever experienced in my life that helped me connect to a spiritual place within. While I’ll go out in public to dance with friends I mostly prefer the random sessions I have when I’m alone. When some good music comes on I’m transported to my ultimate happy place full of empowering moves I’m often too embarrassed to share in public. ☺
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I have a strong need for freedom. From kicking my boyfriend’s leg off me while we sleep to driving a motorcycle across the country because a car wouldn’t allow me to “feel” the environment with my body. I don’t even like owning many things because it makes me feel tied down to one spot. I have such a strong need at times to experience the world and when I can’t my body and mind revolt!
