How do you Make A Difference in this world?

This was the question I got to ask myself over and over again last week whilst attending the Aspire M.A.D Global Leaders Conference.

Imagine, one room with over five hundred women and twenty five men asking this question of themselves too.

I have never been in a room charged with such vibrant buzzing energy. Powerful people using their powerfulness as a force of good in the world.

I sat and watched an amazing women who sits in one of the most important senior positions in her organisation. An organisation that is one of THE biggest power house companies worldwide. She talked about her challenges. She opened her heart and told a story that she later professed she had never planned on talking about. She spoke of her discomfort around something that happened for her in her career, where she showed vulnerability and absolutely nothing bad happened.

In that moment she made a huge difference to my world.

The power of amazingness in this women. Her open heart. Never planning to share what happened – allowing herself to show vulnerability again to a room full 500 plus people and some of her colleagues. Sharing her story about how being vulnerable doesn’t have to be a disaster. That from vulnerability comes a force of positive power and goodness.

Vulnerability can feel so god dam awful. I know it does for me a times. I think the chances are that no matter how much work you do on yourself, vulnerability will always SUCK – big time. But I think vulnerability transforms. The more we be brave and show vulnerability, the more brave and courageous we become. The next experience of vulnerability comes from being even braver and moving even further out of your comfort zone.

It made me stop and think about my own vulnerable times. The times I held back and hid my vulnerability from fear of looking weak, pathetic and useless. And you know what, THAT SUCKED MORE.

Every single time I’ve been vulnerable, including last week at the conference; sharing deep parts of own story, I never once saw a flicker of pity, shock, horror or negativity. It was met with warmth, love and powerfulness force of good.

I still hold true to my mantra – “Share your story, your vulnerability with those that deserve to hear it.” That way you get to be cared for, held and empower people who will hear it as it’s meant to be heard.

Vulnerability has now been transformed for me to mean GROWTH. The more I’m courageous and brave, the chances are the more vulnerable moments I’ll have.

But I’ll be growing, having a chance to have a more powerful effect on peoples lives, for people to live extraordinary lives. Empowering people to step up and know that they can choose to embrace their extraordinary life.

Today I ask you to dig out your vulnerable moments from the past, especially if that moment still doesn’t feel so good (I still have some too, they pop up outta nowhere and bite me on my ass, HARD) and think about how you can view them differently, what happened after that vulnerable moment, maybe how would you like to do it differently next time, how can you can make peace with it… How can you feel free with your vulnerability moments?

Pause and check in with it, let it go. Free yourself from crappy vulnerable moments so you can transform them into something great.

Most importantly of all, embrace vulnerability, it’s a place of strength and greatness.