Courage to Choose Feeling

*I shared an abbreviated version of this post on my newsletter last Monday, but felt the need to expand on this further. Hope you guys enjoy! P.S. Sign up for my newsletter here

"Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver. And our world could stand to be a little kinder and braver."

-Brené Brown

I've always found it funny how we work so hard to conceal the best parts of ourselves.

Our vulnerability. Our emotions. Our heart. 

These are the beautiful parts of us that make us human and make connection possible. Yet we sometimes do everything in our power to thwart showing those sides of us to others.

There is so much strength in caring.
It takes true courage to show our humanness, our softness, to others. Because by putting ourselves out there, we expose ourselves to the possibility hurt feelings or showing weakness. And that can be pretty darn frightening indeed. If given the choice, no one willingly invites those uncomfortable feelings of sadness, loneliness, and rejection. 

But on the flip side of things, you can't cherry pick your feelings. You can't just choose to turn on your openness to emotions when the emotions are positive and then actively shut that off when negative emotions appear. Sadly, it doesn't tend to work that way.

By shutting yourself down to negative emotion, you also shut yourself down to feeling the positive emotions too. You shut yourself off from your humanness.

I think courage is infectious.

Seeing someone stand up for what they believe in, seeing someone choose to be vulnerable when they could easily put a wall up instead, seeing someone show love and compassion rather than hate and dismissal; it's all SO brave. You had the courage to choose to experience connection and to make yourself vulnerable, when the easy choice would be to not bother at all. And you likely inspired the person you chose to be vulnerable with, to be vulnerable with you back.

So let's all encourage one another to be courageous. People are likely to follow suit when they see one person stand up and take the plunge. 

Nothing is more powerful and beautiful than allowing yourself to be deeply affected by things.

Whether it be the little everyday things that make life awesome, an interaction with a friend, an expression of emotion, you crank up the intensity of the experience to be gained by allowing yourself to be deeply affected by things. 

So, I have a challenge for you all today-- will you have the courage to choose?

Choose depth.
Choose feeling.
Choose vulnerability.
Choose possibility.
Choose kindness and compassion.
Choose bravery over fear.