If the Kevin of 10 years ago suddenly found out what present Kevin currently does for a living, he would literally laugh out loud. No way. The idea of listening, speaking, empathizing & sharing with others …
NEVER Imagined
Vulnerability is a basic human need as well. Being vulnerable is a part of self-expression:
- How we learn to trust one another
- How we learn to be honest with ourselves
- It allows us to be supported by our community.
To be able to connect with someone else, especially someone I’ve never even met before. This is a skill that is really NEW to me.
Once I started being vulnerable, it changed my whole life. Plus, I found out that I was really good at it. Being awkward and goofy has a natural way of allowing others to relax.
Once I opened myself up, I found out that people naturally wanted to open up and talk to me.
But that’s another story. This story is about how I started development of two skills that completely changed my life and how I interacted with people: Listening & Vulnerability.
When you have those thoughts & moments with the people you love, take advantage of them. Start small & start now.
Have the courage and faith to be that first domino to fall into the relationships in your life; to tell your friends that you love them is hard!
Your Homework
Your homework (and I give a lot of homework) is to think of one person in your life who did something kind for you. Doesn’t have to be big or life-changing, but it has to have actually mattered to you. Find that thought, sit with your emotions of gratitude, then call/text/video/telepath or go tell them in-person how much that meant to you.