Blog: Reflections of Valuable and Vulnerable

I was reflecting on our #ValuableAndVulnerable campaign early this morning I was thinking about how difficult I found it to announce my vulnerability.

Being valuable is important to us all and once I thought about the people who might consider me valuable and what it was that I had to offer that made me so I could come up with a few easily based on skills that others valued. It’s just a fact and I am not bigging me up in any way but little things that we do for each other are valued. I am really fortunate that my job also supports me to feel valued as it is based on helping others to achieve things.

Then I thought about those people who have far fewer connections in their life and what opportunities they had to feel valued. People who are isolated may feel lonely, less connected, few opportunities to do things for others that makes them feel good about themselves. Do we need to find ways to connect them to others who they can help not the other way around? The Camerados principles help shape my thinking here.

I found myself even in my thoughts veering away again from vulnerability, but why? Then I hit it head on but only in my own head, what are my vulnerabilities and what has made them so? It was a big list and something even I had struggled to recognise yesterday when sharing just one which I felt it was fairly safe to do because lots of others would also be feeling vulnerable over missing family and friends.

I am vulnerable because I need to achieve and do things well and if I don’t it makes me feel a failure. I have now learnt that it is okay to fail but it still doesn’t sit easy with me personally although I know how much we can learn from failure and how it can give us new knowledge to move on.

I am vulnerable because I worry about what others think about me, a throwback from many criticisms and insults when growing up. It has made me strong in the defence of others and helped me to be less critical as a person. I also find as I get older, I worry far less about it.

I was vulnerable because I had epilepsy as a child, but that has been a strength when supporting others with epilepsy, even the owner whose dog who had a first seizure outside our door, the woman was distraught but I was able to reassure her and stay with them then help get the dog home.

So maybe our vulnerabilities help us to be compassionate, useful, helpful and understanding and so should also be valued.

What do you think?

By Chris Clarke