You are not a robot.

January 10, 2014 by Joani Junkala 1 Comment

We all know someone who is stiff, rigid, cold, and seemingly made of metal with their armored exterior… but deep down, we are all vulnerable.

A colleague once said to me that she never likes to complain about her work load because, in her opinion, it makes her look incompetent. My first thought was interesting, I’ve never looked at it that way.

Now, of course, complaining about your work load doesn’t always make you appear incompetent. You could be wearing many hats and be overwhelmed with work. You could be filling in on tasks for which you have no experience or expertise.

I thought about this for a moment… words like that come from a place of fear… a fear of insecurity that appearing to not know or not be able to handle something could cause her to look weak, ignorant, incapable, or even lose her job. Those are fearful thoughts. You know how I feel about fear… squash it.

I began to wonder why she would rather suffer and push on attempting to take on more than she could handle or even attempt a task she had no expertise in. Ahhh… vulnerability.

To this woman, not knowing or not being able to handle a heavy load shows up as “incompetence” and being incompetent  makes her feel vulnerable and vulnerability is not something she is comfortable with. But take off that shield of armor and she’s just like any other human being with worries, fears, and insecurities. Come on… Even the tin-man had a heart.

We aren’t robots. We are not programmed to know it all and do it all. We are human beings with limitations. And, frankly, we don’t need to know how to do everything. We have our own special gifts and we leave the rest to the others who excel in the areas for which we lack.

Take a look at the definition of vulnerability – susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.

The funny thing about vulnerability is we are the main source of our own physical or emotional attack or harm. We create a mental world that is unloving, unkind, and harsh. We tell ourselves we aren’t good enough if we can’t [fill in the blank].

We are more than good enough. We are just right exactly the way we are.

What unloving thoughts run through your mind during one day? Become aware of them and replace them with forgiving and loving thoughts. When you master this… do the same for the thoughts you have of others.

Spread the love. ❤