Being Vulnerable (but with Thick Skin)

Most people have heard the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Many can testify to this statement being true.

Are you at risk of being a vulnerable target?

Can people who appear to have thick skin be vulnerable?

Being vulnerable is a feeling understood to be the potential or being emotionally open to the opportunity of being attacked or weakened by slander or criticism.

Do you have to get thick skin in order to be a leader?

Do you agree that we are all emotional people at some point in lives?

The politics of life choices causes people to become emotionally connected. More or less is totally dependent on the person.

Everyone is at risk of having emotional vulnerability because people care about issues or matters of the heart that are important to them.

Can caring be the core of developing thick skin? Yes, because your caring causes some people to believe that you are willing to give your heart and soul for them and they take advantage of your compassion.

These are the people that you feel comfortable opening up to by looking them in the eyes and spilling your soul not because you are an attention seeker but because you want others to know the authentic you instead of forcing a fake smile every time you enter the public eye.

Being caring could set the foundation for some elected officials and community leader to appear vulnerable. Caring will give some people the power to be destroy or rebuild the caregiver.

So, is the solution for not getting thick skin to become cold and absent from all the worldly things without using your emotion?

Continued on Page 5

‘A Political View’

By Sherry Holliman SHERRY HOLLIMAN (cont.)

There is no one way road for feelings. You are either willing and able to feel everything or take measures to avoid the harsh emotionally threatening feelings. Just because you genuinely show up as being vulnerable, doesn’t mean you feel vulnerable. They are two very different things. Feeling vulnerable doesn’t mean you are showing up as being vulnerable.

The moment a person starts feeling vulnerable, the thick skin starts forming in layers and they shut down to protect themselves from any further potential violation to their “self.” When most people hear the word vulnerable, they associate it with weakness. Actually, the willingness to be vulnerable is showing powerful self strength. People are always vulnerable no matter how hard they try to shield themselves.

Because of societal interaction individuals will connect across the world at some time to share thoughts and experiences with each other and unfortunately all topics will not be understood making the challenger, or advocate the target. Being a true leader requires you to have thick skin because people expect you represent them using your voice.

Vulnerability will victimize anyone. It is the beauty and truth of life and comes with a bright and a dark side that has traumatized people making them cold, and thick-skinned. At the end of the day you are at a high risk of becoming vulnerable because you want to live a transparent life for the people who are closest to you. They know who you really are. They know about your dreams, hopes, and fears. In addition, vulnerability can happen to you by you if you do not have a clear understanding of who you are as a person. Do you consider yourself

Sherry Holliman is a concerned citizen of Crittenden County and has some views on a variety of topics that she wants to share with her neighbors. She serves on the Marion City Council.