Strength in Vulnerability

By Pauly David

Most people wouldn’t assume I’m a healer. I don’t fall in line with how what most of us have agreed that someone with my gift would present themselves. I don’t wear jewelry. I don’t surround myself with a white light. I don’t carry a pouch with powerful herbs and oils. While I appreciate someone who chooses to live this way, this is not my authentic self.

When I first realized I would use my gift to heal others, I was presented with an internal dilemma. I didn’t feel like I looked or talked “mystic” enough. Would I have to modify the person I am to validate my gift to others and to myself? I decided that my answer would be no.

Instead, I chose to unblock that part of myself that was fear telling me I wasn’t good enough. I unblocked it to reveal the gift I feel I was put here to share. I unblocked it to reveal my happiness and authentic self. Fear, in my opinion, is the root of most of our emotions, and eliminating it can mean eliminating the obstacles preventing us from self actualization and freedom.

During my workshops I like to do this short exercise. I ask each person to answer the following four questions. I invite you now to do the same:

1. What do you wish more people knew about you?

2. What prevents you from telling people this information?

3. How does the thought of you personally exposing this make you feel?

4. How does the thought of people knowing this make you feel?

More often than not, the common root feeling of questions 2 and 3 is fear. Number 4 is generally relief because it’s something you want people to know. I hear the word “judgement” a lot during this exercise, but it’s really a FEAR or being judged. When we get to our root feeling, it might be easier to conquer. In a group of 10 people, usually about 3 are willing to read their answers aloud. Once those are read and we discuss them, more people share, and the number usually totals 8 or 9, sometimes everyone. A lot of people have the opportunity to discover that they give too much power to the assumptions they make about what others will think of them. Most times, people empathize with what is read. The common thread is, we are not alone in our fears and once we are open with ourselves, we have the ability to help and be open with others.

What other people think of you is none of your business anyway, so your assumptions are really fears.

Give yourself the oxygen mask before helping someone else so you can both live.

Imagine if you could act the way you act around your pets with everyone. What prevents you from doing that? I’m excited to share what Strength in Vulnerability means to me and how I hope it will free you from whatever is stifling you. Let’s have healthier relationships, better self-care, better sex, less fear. Revealing my gifts to you is simply a reflection of what we both need. Let’s heal each other and ourselves.

I am honored to be sharing my gifts, knowledge and space with you at future LSR retreats.

I can’t wait to meet YOU.