I am human. I am not half immortal and half human like the Greek demi-god Achilles.
My birth mother did not erroneously hold me by one ankle and submerge me in the river Styx hoping to save me from an early, ill-fated demise.
She never held me at all.
By no ones fault but my own, I have two Achilles heels.
– Kindness and Outspokenness –
Still I breathe to live free of harmful arrows, yet another blessed day.
I do not deny my weaknesses. I embrace them. I take responsibility for them. I love them. I feel stronger with them, then without them. And I take the word “strength” to heart.
I do not numb my vulnerabilities. Instead, I give them an embraceable symbol of life. Red achilles heels!
Red is my power color. I feel taller in red. They give me the courage to be imperfect. What makes me vulnerable also makes me beautiful. And I can proudly walk into what makes me, ME in a whole-hearted way.
There are some who misinterpret kindness for weakness.
Why in the world would you want to leave your self vulnerable to people who’d put a naturally kind person on their “list” to call upon only when they need something?
Oh yes, at one time I convinced myself I didn’t realize what was going on. I would fall for people’s manipulations long before I mentally purchased my red achilles heels. I thought they were my friends, and they needed me. Truthfully, I thought I needed them too.
Now, I choose my friends, and will do anything for them…within reason. And now, there’s more of an exchange. Honesty!
I know who I’m willing to be, what I’m willing to give, and more importantly what I’m willing to allow. I’ve given myself permission to accept my own boundaries.
Outspokenness is a bit more difficult to shoe than kindness. I’m a pretty out loud individual. I had to find the right times and the right places to be me. I also had to find strength in moderation. But it was my choice to do so. The best part is, I didn’t have to turn down my light. There are places where an out-spoken ME does quite well.
I raised my self-awareness, and instead of hiding them and trying to overcome my vulnerabilities, I’ve come into a place of rebirth, where joy, love and creativity reside. I stopped trying to control and predict. I’ve found less vulnerable ways to breathe free.
Will there always be a guarantee that I won’t fall prey to my Achilles heels? Nope!
But, I’m much stronger now. After all, red is my power color.
So I ask you…
Where are your places of vulnerability?
How many Achilles heels do you have?
And more importantly…how are you embracing rather than attempting to hide them???
Flawsome is my new favorite word!!!!!! I always like to say I am Beautifully flawed! Wonderful post!!!!!
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Thanks Jess. Did you notice how even Achilles heels can teach us to be stronger? Flawsome is a pretty cool word. I’m glad it resonates with you.
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I really like the way you wrote this post. The way you bridged all your subsidiary points was fresh and very smooth.
I biggest Achilles Heel is my face. I wrote a post recently “About Face”. That sums up my achilles heel, and also how I’m trying to deal with it.
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Thanks for visiting, and thanks for sharing. I wish you the highest and best solution(s) dealing with your all too emotional facial expressions. I’m certain using a mirror and some recorded trigger words & phrases will help. See how you feel and give yourself some practice!
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For me it has been striving for ‘perfection’ – I was indoctrinated at a young age – “If you’re doing a job, do it properly” – I spent my life working longer and harder aiming for ‘perfection’ and have FINALLY cast of my Achilles Heel and realised ‘great’ is good enough! “Yee Haa” and ‘sorry mum’… x
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Wendy…I love that you found your strength. Bravo!
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Thanks Jen – definitely a great thing and better late than never! x
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Loved your blog! I will say I need to work more on this, I am a harmonizer by nature so try to stay away from conflict, but that doesn’t always help. But at times it comes pretty handy 🙂
Thanks for your blog, you come across honest and authentic which is hard to find these days!
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Thanks for the visit, your comment, and your follow.
I believe our achilles heels also give us strength. It all depends on the circumstances, and how much we’ve invested in learning more about our weaknesses. How can they serve us in a positive way? For instance, I wouldn’t advise someone to totally relinquish their fear of heights. Then what, they go up on the roof and walk carelessly around???
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Thank you for sharing this powerful post and I love how you embrace your vulnerabilities and celebrate them instead of hiding them! You go girl! Flawsome – I love this ❤
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Hiya…I’m thrived you enjoyed this post. Yes, I do celebrate my Achilles heels. I have found it more beneficial to turn them into strengths, as there is much strong about them. Hiding them isn’t an option because I believe you only fool yourself when doing that!
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Until now I never thought about it….I am now & I do believe it would be a scroll down list.
Trish
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Transform one or two and see how you feel. Remember, there are two sides to every coin!
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Wonderful post…I really liked the way you said your heart….loved it 🙂
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Thank you!
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