Your Rocketship to Joy {Even From Violence, Poverty & Prison}
Aug 20
Today I’m going to tell you something that you probably do not want to hear. In fact when I was first introduced to this “rocketship to joy” I figured I’d rather ram my face through a wall.
The bottom line though: it WORKS. Today it made a waitress cry and feel hope for the first time in a life riddled with violence and poverty. In a group of single mothers whose boyfriends are in and out of prison – even for one who’d been to prison herself – while struggling against a life without education or support from anyone who understands… these women are finding hope and joy in the place they least expected it.
They’re finding it in vulnerability.
Why Vulnerability is THE Mothership
Okay, so Angela (my business partner) and I have an inside joke about ‘the mothership.’ If you like, we can call it the motherlode. What we’re saying is that the more vulnerable you’re willing to be (in a safe space of course), the happier you’ll become.
Now the first time I heard this, I wanted to scream. Because vulnerability felt like a nasty word. If you’re like I was, it may raise feelings of shame, fear, and disconnection. Not to mention we often stack emotions on top of vulnerability, so it could also feel like anger, betrayal, anxiety or judgment.
In my case, vulnerability meant being weak, being taken advantage of, and not being strong enough.
Yet researcher Brené Brown, PhD. has made studying courage and vulnerability her life’s work – first to disprove the value of vulnerability… and then to embrace and encourage it. Why? Because she found that vulnerability was the singular thing that differentiated happy people from unhappy people, and that embracing it can lead to authentic happiness – because embracing it allows us to feel truly worthy.
In one of her TEDTalks, she says:
“The only difference between people who felt worthy, and those who didn’t, was that those who felt worthy were able to be vulnerable.
They believed that what made them vulnerable also made them beautiful. They knew it was necessary and were willing to risk loving, being authentic, and giving of themselves… when there were no guarantees.”
In theory it all sounds nice, but if vulnerability is so great, why is it so hard? Why should we bother?
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Latest Comments
Alanda commented on The One Mistake We’re Already Making in 2012: You are so right on! It is all about love in action!
Oli commented on The One Mistake We’re Already Making in 2012: The dollars actually at an all time high against a lot of countries nowadays, it's why it is current
Glen Smith commented on Danger in a Woman’s Sexuality: A Manifesto: Jaime, It's with regret that I learn of your abuse in the past and it's good to see that you have he
Landon commented on The One Mistake We’re Already Making in 2012: Well said Jaime! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Brian commented on The One Mistake We’re Already Making in 2012: As always love your writing James! We all have two sides in our nature; the primordial selfish cavem