I’ve often said that when your heart breaks, the world opens up to you.

Last month, I wrote about the loss of my dog, and the lessons learned from that experience. Although the experience was painful, I chose to write about it, and share with all of you, my extended family. What happened was amazing; so many of you responded with love and words of encouragement. Even more amazing, many of you told me how sharing my experience helped you to deal with something in your own life. I never imagined that such a wonderful response could happen. You all lit up my world, reminding me how very connected we are.

I began to reflect on one of the conditioned patterns in the Abundance Intelligence® system – Vulnerability. For most people, especially in the business community, Vulnerability equals weakness, and should be avoided at all costs. In our Abundance Intelligence® vocabulary, we know that Vulnerability is defined as possessing the strength to allow yourself to be seen as who you are in the world. The emphasis here is on strength. It takes great courage to show yourself to the world authentically, especially when times may be painful, uncertain, or scary. I took a risk in sharing the loss I experienced. I never expected what I received in return. What a gift!

When we step outside of ourselves and accept the challenge to let people see us as we really are, the world opens up to us.

Our hearts get a little bigger.

Our love lasts longer.

Our experiences become richer . . . and we live into our greatness, one human moment at a time.

Being who we are, after all, is truly a beautiful thing.

Thank you all for reminding me of that.