Her greatest talent?
Daring to live.
That’s what I heard someone say. About a mutual friend.
A-ma-zing.
What a talent!
Dare to live. Don’t be afraid.
Or better yet: be afraid, and do it anyway.
Daring to fall flat on your face and shine while doing it.
And getting back up shining.
One of my heroes, Brené Brown, (do take another look at
her TEDtalk, www.springcoaching.nl/inspiratie) calls it
Daring Greatly.
And says that Courage, the courage to be Vulnerable, will forever change the way
we live, love and lead.
And Courage begins with daring to show that we’re not perfect.
And not always happy.
No one.
Over the past year, I completed a coaching course in Systemic Work.
Family constellations and such.
What did I learn?
Of course, the craft of guiding people through constellations.
But above all, once again, and now a layer deeper,
what we gain from letting our masks fall.
Trading in putting on a brave face for honest and genuine truths.
So much more interesting.
Dare to show that life can be quite a challenge at times.
I like to look on the bright side.
I prefer to give the optimist in me all the room it needs.
But it's simply not possible to be positive all the time.
There is no light without darkness.
Life leaves scratches on your soul.
Everyone.
Being open about those scars. About the disappointments. About how life sometimes just hurts. Saying that out loud and, to your surprise, realizing that you're still alive afterward. That no one walks away or is disappointed in you.
On the contrary.
Because this is what we think far too often:
I’ll only have a chance of making it in this life if I’m successful, radiant, smart, funny and slim, if I give the impression that everything I take on turns to gold.
If I show that everything is always fine with me.
No way am I going to show what I find difficult. What hurts me. What I'm ashamed of.
Misunderstanding.
Nobody wants to talk to a walking success story. One where the pain,
doubt, and fear have been banished to the forbidden land.
A story only gets interesting when it's real. Honest.
With the highs and the lows. With what goes well, and what feels uncomfortable.
That gives life its glow.
What if we all agreed to let our masks slip a little more often this year? Just admit a little more often that things don't always go smoothly. And that this is what life is all about.
A little braver each time,
a little more vulnerable each time.
Sharing the stories behind the scars.
The scars that always conceal pearls.
That are a path to wisdom and meaning.
And see what that brings.