There is no such thing as perfection. There is also no excuse to not strive for it with everything we do. Really healthy relationships allow for you to not be perfect. Real relationships of value respect your ability to be honest about your failures. You know you have a good relationship when you trust that your vulnerabilities will not be exploited.
A huge step in my life was getting over myself when it comes to my vulnerabilities. I own where I have made mistakes and I am not afraid to share my experience, good or bad. I am who I am in totality. I cannot honestly represent myself by picking and choosing. I am the man I am today because of all of it, not just the good or the bad. I own it, I accept it, and I am analytical about it in order to make progress from it.
In conversation last night with someone I started to do business with, I was told that they chose to do business with me because I owned a negative thing I once did. I had no hesitation in sharing something I did where I let my anger and ego get the best of me. Having the ability to share this vulnerability gave someone confidence in me as a person and businessman.
In many ways we are being told by the social megaphone to only be strong. The definition of that strength tends to be a Utopian view where perfection is the only acceptable course of action for winners. In truth, losing is the foundation for winning. The best are not those that never lose, they are the ones that never quit no matter what the score is. Winning is about having endurance and the ability to be analytical along the path.
If we are fighting to hide our vulnerabilities, we are losing the time we need and the energy required to make progress. That half step could have been a full step if you didn’t stop to complain, dwell upon your mistakes, and deceive those watching to protect one’s ego.
The wrong people will try to use your vulnerabilities against you. The right people will respect your honesty and work with you to overcome the vulnerabilities or put you in a position to work within your strengths. This is where your choices come into play. The people you choose to surround yourself with really matters and is the most real reflection of who you are.
Embrace your failures and use them as a foundation for success. Accepting your vulnerabilities and trusting the good people in your life is the greatest show of strength you can ever demonstrate. Everyone can posture as strong when things are good. It is when we fall or fail that we find out the truth. Can you accept your misstep, get back up and keep going forward?
Brian Wright
www.killerbcsa.com
www.thehivecast.com