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The Dilemma of Vulnerability: How Safe It Is to Share It in a Business Environment

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I get asked all the time: “Debora is it safe to be vulnerable and share my story? Will it diminish my credibility?” Vulnerability is one of the most potent ways to connect to your audience deeply. I want to make a distinction though. Vulnerability is not about sharing your story only, but about how you share it and how much or little you refer to the emotions and feelings involved in the story.

You could share a story as a series of cold facts or a chronicle that has nothing to do with vulnerability. Vulnerability is a more in-depth way of sharing stories, a combination of challenges and struggles someone has faced in their life. People, especially people in business, believe that sharing vulnerability is weak and can diminish their authority and credibility. The opposite is true. 

Being vulnerable, sharing your stories, struggles, and challenges are genuinely empowering for yourself and the readers and a real act of courage. When you can see someone’s vulnerability, you instantly build a deeper connection to them, first of all, because you start seeing them as real people precisely as you are. 

There is no single person on this planet that does not go through challenges and struggles during their lifetime, from CEO to ministers, from nurses to famous actors. Feeling vulnerable is another emotion that needs to be accepted and deeply honoured.

Everybody has vulnerabilities

I want to bring this to your attention. Imagine connecting to two people who are both confidence coaches. The first one talks about his shiny diploma from the University of confidence coaching. The second person shares a story of how he has overcome the most profound challenges to find the confidence to speak on stage for the first time and now travel the world to motivate people. Which one would be more credible to your eyes, and which one would you feel closer to? I bet the second one. 

Your stories and your vulnerabilities are what will qualify you, your gifts and expertise in the eyes of your audience. Entrepreneurs and business owners often sell tangible results; imagine if they sell these results through their journey. How more credible this would be?

“To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.” – Crissi Jami

How to share your vulnerabilities the right way

We have established that vulnerability is empowering and courageous, so now the question is  “How to share it the right way?” For vulnerability to be empowering and motivating, it must be shared from a victorious point and not from a victim one. 

You would not want to share a vulnerable story to get pity or approval or to offload anger and frustration for something that has negatively impacted you. At first, because we always find gold at a later stage. Gold being the blessings, opportunities and learnings we receive from it. 

You would want to share your story from the victorious side, making sure to deliver the learnings and the lessons and a powerful motivating message at the end for your readers.

Always ask yourself: “Why would I want to share this particularly vulnerable story? What inspiring message do I want to deliver with it? “

The final message is critical in any story or piece of vulnerability you share. The message and its inspiration are why it is paramount to share the story in the first place. What about if you still feel vulnerable and you are not entirely out of the story?  You can still share your vulnerability from the same place as above. You can share the learnings and the awareness you have around it. The actions you are taking to motivate yourself and remain optimistic.

“What makes you vulnerable, makes you beautiful.” – Brené Brown

Sharing my own vulnerabilities

A while back, I organised my first big women conference, and throughout the process, I felt very vulnerable. I doubted myself. I doubted my ability to fill the room, and I questioned whether I was good enough. I could have hidden my fears and vulnerability, but I decided to go public with it and deeply share how I felt from a victorious place. 

I shared my fears. I shared how my mind was trying to play with me every day and convinced me that I was not up for the job. Many people related to this. Who doesn’t struggle with their mind and ego every single day? I acknowledged the fight with my fears and doubts, and I also recognised the massive strength and determination I had to overcome this and do it anyway. 

What I shared was truly empowering for my readers and me, and it brought them closer to me and my conference.

Our stories do not belong to us. Imagine them being the instruments to help you find your life path and purpose. We live our stories for a bigger purpose. Hence sharing them becomes a positive mission, not something to fear.

Debora Luzi is a passionate writer, a mother and an entrepreneur. Debora teaches other entrepreneurs how to write powerful and authentic content that connects, converts and impacts millions. She is the founder of The Writing Academy  for Entrepreneurs, the only global online community focused at content creation. Debora is also the founder of the Women Who dare to Desire Global conference.

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Success Advice

Mastering Self-Management for Success: Lessons From Peter F. Drucker

With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success.

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Peter f drucker lessons
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In today’s dynamic professional world, self-management has become increasingly important. With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success. (more…)

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How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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Igniting your spark
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What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change?  (more…)

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How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
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Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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