Musings from Medellin: Volume 2

What is your biggest fear?

That was one of the prompts that my Remote Year group had to respond to when we were doing introductions on Tuesday, two days after we arrived.

Our local guide told us that we could go as deep as we wanted, but she forewarned us that she was going to go VERY deep.

What she shared with us, fifteen people she had just met a couple days earlier, blew us away and we all followed suit.

I shared the fear that a serious sickness or other emergency would derail my plans for my business, my life and ruin me financially.

Another feared never finding a place that felt like home. A veteran shared that he had PTSD, social anxiety and poor social skills. He asked that we have patience with him if he was awkward and asked for his support in bonding with the group.

Other folks shared things including fear of not being liked, which leads to chronic people pleasing. 

The list went on and on.

After that, we all went to dinner and our conversation was deep, engaging and effortless.

That is the power of vulnerability; one cannot have meaningful relationships without it. 

If you want to explore this topic more, watch this TED Talk by Brene Brown. As of this writing, it has 63,843,515 views!

Also, check out this list of deep conversation starters that you can use in various situations. There are also lots of physical decks on the market that you can use with family, friends or at work. 

Have fun getting vulnerable and watch your relationships and life transform!