In this Brené Brown era of embracing vulnerability, one can ask: “Is showing your weakness actually okay then?”

My take is that, yes, it is! Let me explain why.

While expressing your vulnerability and showing your weakness are often equated, they are not the same. Vulnerability involves our willingness to be open and take emotional risks, while showing weakness is specifically about acknowledging areas in which we struggle or are less capable.

I won’t ever forget this one circumstance, which led me to share my weakness for the first time ever. It almost tasted rebellious, like I was challenging the widely accepted stereotype to constantly present myself as extremely strong and capable, on all topics, all the time.

I immediately felt that I had leveled up my conversations with others. Some of them were supportive, others opened up about their own weaknesses.

By showing your weakness, you level up the game in many key aspects.

Showing Your Weakness Gives You a New Perspective On It

When you take action towards acknowledging and voicing your weakness, you will immediately gain another’s perspective on it. This frees you from performing perfection at all times, allows you to stop hiding that weakness at last, and most importantly, gives you a fresh, new insight on it, helping you gain clarity and understanding. 

Freed from the spasm of concealing what troubles you, a totally new light is shed on your weakness. You suddenly see it better and it stops feeling so heavy. In taking on a different energy, it stops having control over you. For me this meant accepting my true self and my burden transforming into a challenge.

There’s an Increased Motivation To Overcome Your Challenges

Once you have collected that much-needed outside perspective on whatever is troubling you, you instantly become more inspired to deal with it. Your biases are weakened. Your courage is stronger. Your weakness is no longer a potential secret weapon of others who might have sniffed it out. Instead, now that it’s out in the open, you gain a strong motivation and a particular type of creativity to search for an adequate solution. Fear of judgement is no longer blocking your vision. 

Now when I look back, when I was no longer afraid of being perceived as weak or incompetent, I opened the door for greater personal and professional growth.

Showing Your Weakness Opens You Up to Seeking Support

Expressing your weakness to another person also opens you up to sharing it with more people you trust and collect their opinions, receive their help, and gain new angles to solving the issue. By being open, you become more receptive to listening and learning from others. This collective insight can be incredibly powerful and transformative, and you are not the same person anymore. 

I personally benefited a lot from this openness, because instead of being in competition with other women, I witnessed my personal and professional relationships grow into those of solidarity and empowerment. There is no better bond between two than sharing the same weakness.

There Are Suddenly New Possibilities for Growth 

Once acknowledged, your weakness can be transformed into an impulse for innovation, new approaches, and unexpected opportunities that you might not have considered otherwise. In short, a previous “flaw” is now a source of new possibilities. For me, this acknowledgment led to breaking new ground, in all areas of my life, which is just one among many reasons why I dedicate my coaching to inspiring other women to do the same.

In essence, showing your weakness is about recognising and confronting specific areas where you lack strength or skill. This process can be a profound act of courage and growth. It aligns you with the very essence of human connection and continuous improvement. By acknowledging and addressing our weaknesses, we open doors to self-discovery, collective wisdom, and a wealth of possibilities.

This journey goes beyond personal. Its wider context is a powerful act of defiance against limiting societal norms.

May this be an invite to finding strength in the honest acknowledgment of our individual and shared weaknesses.