Over 6 months ago my life changed (About).  I didn’t know that writing a poem, from my heart, would unlock my voice and my heart (Redirection: 7 Lessons from Living Differently).  I was profoundly changed by my experience and realizations and choose to fully surrender to life and fully let go.  Since that moment I decided to live vulnerably so that I can be truly seen (Cleansing My Soul).  These are the lessons I learned from living on the edge of my comfort zone and from my goals of being vulnerable, facing my fears and letting go (Goals 2014).

When you speak from the heart people intently listen.

While at a recent party I had a candid conversation with a friend.  He talked about his cautionary approach to life, which quickly brought up a red flag for me.  Concerned, I kindly offered an alternative thought and told him that I gave him advice because I cared.  He was both completely surprised and touched by my statement.  He continued to listen intently at the advice I gave.  It wasn’t until I finished giving my advice and pulled my focus away from him that I realized a few other people were intently listening as though waiting for my next words of wisdom.  It’s like our soul is aching to hear such honesty.

Expressing feelings gives people permission to feel.

When I was a little girl I was very sensitive.  One day, after being made fun of on a daily basis, I covered my emotions to protect myself (Un-Masked).  Since I decided to live vulnerably, I surrendered to the essence of the human experience and feel my emotions as they pass through me, when I am around my friends and sometimes when I am around strangers.  As a result, I have felt more than I have ever felt.  I have cried more than I have ever cried.  To my surprise the people in my life have met me half way and have brought down their emotional walls too.

Relationships Shift and Deepen.

Since living vulnerably many of my friendships have shifted and deepened.  Friends that were once closed books have let go to connect deeper with me.  On some occasions, to my surprise, other friends have even expressed their fears to me.  People have always been comfortable around me from the start, but since I am coming from the most honest, vulnerable place, making new friends and connecting to people speeds up.

You see aspects of yourself in everyone you encounter.

I expressed in my book club that as I walk this path, with this way of being, that I fear that people will not be able to relate to me.  However, what my experience has been is that the more I open up and share, the easier it is to find a common ground with anyone.  The human experience is a shared experience.  Yes, we are all unique and special, but one of the many things I learned while studying Human Communication in college is that we have more similarities than differences.  We are all connected by our emotions, our stories and our experiences.  We can only know that we are not alone in our struggles and connection cannot occur until we start communicating and sharing our stories.

Your sense of empathy awakens or deepens.

As a result of hearing all these stories, I have become more empathetic to the human experience and have truly felt the pain of my friends as they are expressing their pain to me (Coming Full Circle).  Being able to see someone in the moment so clearly is profoundly beautiful and humbling.

You constantly feel the most alive.

Since I have heard so many more stories in the past few months and since I am allowing myself to feel all emotion that runs through me, the simple act of feeling raw emotion in the moment is a gift.  It is hard at times, but the energy of feeling the most alive is amazing.  Every day is richer.  Every day is beautiful.  And every day has more meaning than you can only know if you dare to be vulnerable.