Being in Charge of Your Life Doesn’t Mean Closing the Door on Vulnerability
Being in Charge of Your Life Doesn’t Mean Closing the Door on Vulnerability
When people begin to take control of their own lives, it’s very easy for them to over-do it with their newfound lease on life. You might start thinking that you have to be fully in charge all the time, because any signs of weakness might cause you to falter.
This can backfire on you if you’re an online marketer who needs the input of others to succeed. You might shut out other people’s advice and try to handle everything on your own, attempting to be completely rock solid.
While you can’t be flimsy and be used like a doormat, you can’t go to the other extreme and be completely hard, either. You have to find a reasonable middle ground. Closing off everyone and everything and trying to be completely invulnerable is one of the worst things you can do when trying to help yourself.
By doing this, you’ll drive away your friends and those who are genuinely trying to help you succeed by giving you good advice. You’ll find yourself less confident and sometimes depressed because you’re trying too hard to not be vulnerable.
By closing off access to your friends and peers, you’ll cut off potential opportunities for networking and success. You simply can’t be successful or happy at the extreme ends of vulnerability.
There’s a middle ground between flimsy and rock solid when it comes to being vulnerable. You have to learn to be firm, yet flexible enough to be able to adapt when you need to.
Show just enough vulnerability to make you seem much more genuine and relatable. People will take you much more seriously and respect you more if you acknowledge your weaknesses, but don’t dwell on them too much.
This is the sign of a true leader, and will lead you down the path to success by opening up new opportunities. It can be difficult to find the appropriate balance between vulnerability and strength, and it may also vary from person to person.
If you’re going through a really bad time in life, you’ll find it might be better for you to be more strong than vulnerable, until you reach a point in life where you’re comfortable enough to relax a bit.
Once you’re in a spot where you feel safer, you can be a bit more vulnerable and accept help more often. However, you should never, under any circumstance, be completely closed off or completely vulnerable. Find the balance that works best for you, and stick with it.
