
Learning to acknowledge the fears we have within ourselves and with others is the first step to becoming free from them.


What do we do when ours fears begin altering how we live our lives?

I’ve been slowly making may way through Brene’ Brown’s book, Daring Greatly. It’s a great book. It even made #1 on the New York Times bestseller list! I honestly haven’t read a book written by her that I haven’t fully enjoyed and learned from yet, but if I ever do I’ll let you know.
After having read the quote I opened this post with, I stopped reading. I had to think more about what she was saying. I thought to myself, “Empathy requires vulnerability? Really…hmmm, why?”
Choosing to empathize with another requires things from us, doesn’t it? Showing empathy requires that we be vulnerable. Vulnerable with our time, emotional and mental energy, our personal comfort (or rather discomfort that can come when we become involved in another’s situation), sometimes it requires that we speak into their pain and sometimes we sit in silence with our friend. In your friendships do you think its “worth” all of the things it may cost you to show empathy? Sometimes I have found that the very thing keeping people from experiencing healthy and intimate friendships is their lack of willingness to “step into” their friends lives. To show empathy.
If we choose to not show empathy to those we claim are our friends, spouse, family, etc., then we can never hope to have relational intimacy. As Brene’ talks about in her book – We need to move about our relationships with COURAGE. Courage is what we need be vulnerable, which leads to our willingness to choose and risk showing empathy to another.
by: Lianne Johnson, LPC