May 24, 2019 | Your Relationships, Your Self

How learning to be vulnerable is actually empowering

The other day, I watched Brene Brown’s Netflix special The Call to Courage. Have you seen it?

She aptly puts into words what I’ve been trying to express for the past 3 weeks, and what was my experience on this most recent retreat we led this past March.

She says, “Vulnerability is the pathway to being seen and to being loved. To love is to be vulnerable. Many of us would rather not be loved than to risk being vulnerable.”

I felt this on our most recent retreat to the Dominican Republic.

And I know I feel it each time I resist being vulnerable with my partner and then feel even more loved and accepted on the other side of leaning into my humanity and being vulnerable anyway.

Even when all the signals (read: fear, righteous indignation, stubbornness, hands on my hips, you get the idea..) shout, “run, Catherine, run. Girl, what the hell are you thinking? Get outta here” and I stay anyway, and let myself feel all the discomfort of vulnerability, it is then that I’m closest to the love and acceptance I crave.

When we risk being vulnerable, we also are on the brink of finding acceptance.

I believe that acceptance may be one of our greatest fears as human beings. If we fully accept ourselves, then…

…there’s nothing to strive for;
…nothing to works towards;
…no meter stick to measure ourselves against;
…and no so-called “perfect” to reach.

Who we are is enough.

Don’t underestimate how confronting that is for many (if not most). We can get uncomfortable with learning to get comfortable with who we are.

Have compassion with you, and allow yourself to be in-process.

Lean into your growth edge.

Where fear would have you run, what would love have you do?

Be vulnerable.

It’s a magical thing when we create a safe container to be vulnerable in, it gives permission for others to do the same. It creates the possibility for self-love and for acceptance.

10 women in a treehouse in the Dominican Republic taught me this.

  • We get to be vulnerable.
  • We get to be seen.
  • We get to be loved.
  • We get to be accepted.

There is no greater gift than this.

One of my favorite practices to offer clients in this arena, is to ask them to write this down and post it, “What’s the most vulnerable thing you could say right now?”

Practice speaking your truth and getting in touch with the whisperings of your heart. It’s a challenge that’s been life-changing for me, and it is a challenge worthy of you too.

The question is… Are you willing?

Hit REPLY and let me know!

Vulnerably yours,

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Mindful Spending & Navigating Lifestyle Creep with Cris Caruso

In this episode of the Prosperous Empath®, I’m sitting down with financial advisor and UNBOUNDED Mastermind Alum, Cris Caruso to talk about a phenomenon that many people have experienced in recent years: lifestyle creep. Cris has been in the financial services industry since 2004 and a financial advisor since 2008. Beyond that, she has pursued additional education in understanding how our behaviors shape financial outcomes by earning the Behavioral Financial Advisor designation from Think2Perform. She also earned the Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor credential prior to 2015 as a way to support her LGBTQIA+bclients and continues to use this knowledge to work with unmarried couples and non-traditional families. You’ll appreciate her unique experience throughout today’s episode as she speaks on lifestyle creep, or lifestyle inflation, which is overspending on things that you don’t actually need as your income increases. When you’re early in your career, your spending habits focus on must-haves like housing and groceries. But as your income increases, it’s easy to lose track of what is a necessity and what are simply too many luxuries, and to just keep buying more. Cris and I discuss both values-based and practical strategies on how to identify the areas of your life you should spend generously on and where to be more mindful to reach your long-term goals. How do you live in alignment with your money, especially as an entrepreneur and an empath? You’ll get an answer to this question as you listen to our thought provoking conversation on purposeful spending, the importance of allowing yourself to have fun & fabulous experiences, and more.

Visit this episode’s show notes page here.

The Prosperous Empath® Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

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