“Courage is like – it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.” Brene Brown – in her book –  The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Do you ever have days where you feel like all you’re doing is making mistakes and messing everything up? Does it seem like nothing goes as you thought it would?

Yesterday was that kind of day for me.

Most of my day was spent asking for help from Libsyn and Blubrry PowerPress to figure out the feed for the podcast. I also tried to fix what I wanted to write for this post. Then – to top it off – I developed a sudden attack of ‘video stage fright’ as I tried to be vulnerable and share my story in a series of free video trainings to help others write, publish and market their book.

Have you been there where it seems like you’re always fixing mistakes and you feel like you need to ask yourself: is there anything I’m doing right?

I’ve found that when I get to this place, it’s where I take an honest look at myself. It’s here where I really begin to get in touch with what I believe about myself and my mistakes and the stories I tell myself.

It’s scary sometimes to get real with yourself. To realize that the narrative you’ve been telling yourself (ie. this book, video or podcast isn’t very good, so I must be failing), is false.

I’ve definitely felt that way lately as I’m finishing up my non-fiction book and also as I’m sharing the very real me on video.

Here’s some lessons that I’ve learned as I’ve been digging deeper…

Where Vulnerability Meets Honesty…

I’ve learned that where vulnerability meets honesty in telling our own stories, is also where we develop the deepest sense of connection with others and greater sense of who we are.

As I’ve been writing this nonfiction book, it has been a little scary to be so real on the page. To open up and share more of yourself is always a little nerve-wracking for most of us.

I’ve been empowered by these words…

 “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.” Brene Brown

Maybe you’re in the middle of something right now where you’re feeling vulnerable and exposed with something you’ve written.

If that’s where you’re at, I want to encourage you to keep sharing with the world the real you. Owning your story can be hard to do and risky, but I believe it’s not nearly as threatening as giving up on what shows up on the other side of the risk; a sense of belonging, joy and love.

Keep sharing your words with the world. Write what’s in your heart. [Tweet this]

And when you make mistakes along the way, it’s okay. We all make mistakes.

The blunders that we make are not fatal flaws, but rather they remind us that we’re in this together. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Let go of the need to be perfect today. We’re all in this together. You never know who is waiting to hear your story… your words.

Say goodbye to perfect and hello to courage.

Have you embraced courage even though you see imperfect moments in your day? I’d love to hear your thoughts… your story in the comments.