I love running. It’s a passion I stumbled upon when I was a child, almost casually, by mindlessly following some schoolmates of mine, the way you do it when you’re 9 years old and, even though you still haven’t figured it out consciously, all you want is to feel like you’re part of a team. I wound up taking it way more seriously than the friends I followed there – the way I always do – so I quickly moved to the competitive level, entered the track and field team and stayed there for 5 or 6 years. Those running…
After having fallen in love with Brene Brown’s famous TED talk and read a couple of her books, I’ve started to get to know the theme of vulnerability better, both on a more academic level, by reading anything on the topic, and on a personal level, by testing my ability to allow myself to be vulnerable. It turns out a lot of great things happen when you allow yourself to be seen the way you are, great experiences seem to be waiting for you once you start your vulnerability journey. And, since that’s the way I function, I even got to…
Talk about having to speak in public to an anxious girl and you’ll see her crumble to the ground under the weight of her nerves shaking. Yeah, maybe you will. Or maybe not. I was recently asked to act in behalf of my boss for a couple of weeks, travel abroad, lead the preparation of the stuff we had to present, meet our Customer and deliver a 90 minutes presentation twice in two weeks. My anxiety immediately told me to say “No, I don’t want to go”, but my hard-working attitude and my desire not to let my boss down…
“I should have a therapist. I have plenty to therapise about.” – Norah Jones Let’s talk about therapy. Or better: let’s start by talking about therapy they way I would have done it two years ago. I’d begin by rolling my eyes, I’d snort blatantly and recall a quote or two from a movie of Woody Allen’s. I’d tell you that that stuff doesn’t work, and if it does, it certainly doesn’t do anything to me. Now let’s fast forward to today: I’m ready to swear to you that therapy has been the most life-changing experience of my life so…
Basically I had just let down my guard, I had just done something I had been dreading for all my life.
Something in the back of my head had been telling me that in the moment in which you let down your guard, you irreparably give way to hurt and suffering.
That afternoon, as I let myself go into that hug, a very small breach was made into the walls I had been building up for all my life. That very small gesture felt surprisingly good and liberating.
So, once again, my feelings were proving my head wrong. Letting down my guard was probably going to expose me to the risk of being hurt, but, at the same time, it was giving way to the love and affection I had been needing like air.– Whitest Fly
Then it comes a moment in which your life gets shuffled by some event striking you the way a storm shakes up the sea and stirs up the underwater sand you’ve been grounding yourself on.
With time the sea will quieten and all of that sand will settle down again.
It always happens.
But chances are that not a single grain will fall back exactly where it was. Your grounding soil will look and feel different than it was before the storm hit.
But if you’re lucky enough, if you don’t miss the opportunity, your new grounding soil will wind up looking better and feeling stronger than it did before the storm.– Whitest Fly
Emotions can’t be planned ahead: you have to dive into them, if you really want to be alive.
Feel them, discover what they are telling about who you are and why.
Get to know yourself better, give space to every emotion you’re feeling.
Welcome that knowledge with acceptance and respect.
Remember that emotions are never wrong, they’re the natural reaction of your story in the person you are right now.
Reward yourself for your achievements and comfort yourself for your failures.
Be proud of your skills and look at your flaws with affection.– Whitest Fly
