During March of my senior year of high school I watched one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time given by Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability. I remember her words having a huge impact on me. Well, s/o to Brené Brown because three years later, her message about the power of vulnerability continues to shape the way I treat relationships with people in my life.

Brené noted that the people she encountered who embraced vulnerability thrived. She said, “They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn’t talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they really talk about it being excruciating. They just talked about it being necessary.”

So many times (seriously, so many times) in my life I’ve made myself vulnerable only to end up thinking something along the lines of, “What was I thinking, being so open?!” But in all honesty, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If being authentic allows for growth and genuine relationships, I’m down.

This TED Talk impacted me my senior year of high school because I wanted to thrive. I was tired of avoiding situations that had the potential to make me vulnerable. I was ready to be the person who embraced vulnerability. So when I got to college, I lived more openly than ever before. Last week I made myself vulnerable and thought,”Why did I say what was on my mind? Should I have really opened up like that?!” But it allowed for the chance to grow and thrive. So here I am today, still wanting to be raw, imperfect, transparent and vulnerable.