Many of us live our lives in fear of really being seen and heard for who we are.   We are afraid of being vulnerable.

We don’t feel good enough or bright enough, or thin enough, or educated enough or whatever enough.

We will do anything to fit in.  This can be at work, with friends and even with our family of origin.    However, to “fit” in requires us to change or to hide a part of ourselves, meanwhile, sabotaging our authenticity.

In the most recent series of Bridgerton actor Luke Newton and fellow Galway girl Nicola Coughlan go full circle through a journey of vulnerability and show us how rewarding it can be to stay true to yourself and come out victorious in the end.     

Actor Luke Newton, in an interview openly speaks about his personal vulnerability journey.   He says, “At the start of the whole process there felt like a bit of an expectation to step into the positions that had been created by our previous leads”.

Here are 3 main ways you stop yourself putting your business out there, I have been there too!

1. Fear of rejection

Rejection is the ultimate insult to a sense of belonging.

What if I put myself out there and no one comes to me? How will that make me feel?

Will it trigger the old wounds of unworthiness and shame? Will the usual rhetoric start, “I knew no one would want to come to me!”. “No one ever listens to me anyway, told you so”.

Vulnerability gets a bad rap because many of us live our lives in fear of being seen for who we really are.

We have been conditioned to feel not good enough or worthy enough or … whatever enough.

And so, we spend a lot of time trying to fit in. Whether it’s in a work situation, with our friends and even our family.

"Fitting in" lends to an image of manipulating ourselves

We form beliefs around our perceptions of life and whether or not we feel these needs have been met. Our beliefs then fuel our actions.

For example, if we hold a belief that no one wants to hear what we have to say then our confidence level may be at rock bottom.

Limiting beliefs are one of the obstructions that cause you to stay stuck where you are and unable to move forward into the next step of reaching your full potential.