The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul

by Brad Stulberg

FINAL THOUGHTS ON VULNERABILITY Vulnerability means leaning into our soft spots, perceived weaknesses, and the things that we fear most. Vulnerability is hard work, which explains why we put up walls around our hearts and harden our souls. Though we may think this makes us stronger, we are mistaken. It actually makes us weaker; it makes us fragile. When we do not fully know ourselves we cannot fully trust ourselves. And when we cannot fully trust ourselves, we cannot be strong, confident, and grounded, at least not in a genuine manner. Vulnerability also builds trust with others, but only if it is authentic and raw, not performative. This isn’t about sharing that your biggest weakness is that you try too hard at your job or that you sometimes stay up too late at night. It’s about sharing that you’ve experienced depression. That you’ve lost a child. That you’ve been through a divorce. That you’ve failed at projects you care deeply about. That you’re scared about getting sick. That you’re scared to die. There is, of course, a time and a place to share these vulnerabilities. It’s probably not the first time you meet someone, or your first week at a new job. But far more often than not, people lean away from appropriate expressions of vulnerability when it would be beneficial to lean into them. Life is too short to go around pretending. The more real you can get with both yourself and others, even if you do so gradually, the better. On the other side of these insecurities and ...