“I am guarded around people,” shared a mentee over lunch recently. My mentee was guarded because she feared that the people in her life would judge and reject her if they knew the thoughts that were going through her mind.
However, this is the season for her to exchange her negative self-talk with positive thoughts that can propel her to the next level. For years, a voice in her head told my mentee that she wasn’t good enough, beautiful enough, or lovable enough, but not anymore. Since this is the season for that to change, my mentee felt more comfortable revealing this to me, her mentor, so I could help her with the process.
Over the next couple of hours, with her guard now down, we shared the negative self-talk that we had experienced and how it impacted our lives and relationships. We were vulnerable with each other.
The ability to be vulnerable can deepen your connections and improve your relationships.
One of the things my mentee shared was how fear and being guarded kept her from having deeper connections with the people in her life. Ironically, at the end of our conversation, my mentee mentioned that she felt significantly better about herself and her future, and closer to me. When she did, I explained about Dr. Brené Brown’s TED Talk called “The Power of Vulnerability”.
In her TED Talk, Dr. Brown explains how the ability to be vulnerable deepens connection. If you would like to deepen your connections and improve your relationships, or know someone who would, I encourage you to check it out. I hope you find it as inspiring and informative as I did.
The Power of Vulnerability – Dr. Brené Brown’s TED Talk
Questions:
- How is your self-talk keeping you from deeper, better relationships?
- What in the video resonated with you?
