Raw.

Vulnerable.

Exposed.

All your protective layers ripped away to reveal the part of you longing to burst out into the world, the part that’s fragile and easily daunted by the scope of your visions and expectations.

Do you ever feel naked – stripped down to your very essence with no place left to hide?

Do you ever reach a stage in your growth/evolution where you are lost because you don’t know how to move forward? Where you know the magic exists outside your comfort zone but fear of the unknown grips you so hard you can’t move a muscle? What do you do?

What do you do?

I find that getting intimate with your fear is the first step to conquering it. After all, how can you overcome what you cannot understand? You have to experience it, full-on, and discover for yourself that it’s not as debilitating as you think. It’s not as serious as you think. Our fear of what might happen is usually far greater than what does happen.

And even IF your worst fears came true, would you cease to exist? Would you cease to be you? Not even close. You would grieve, and possibly feel anger, and you would survive. You would survive.

Feeling fear when you’re naked is a natural instinct. It’s hardwired into our human genes and there’s nothing we can do about feeling it, but there is something we can do about reacting to it.

It’s like the first time you bare yourself to a new lover or a nudist beach or colony (if that’s your thing); chances are you’ll fret over getting suitable approval, the right reaction, or delivering the ‘wow’ factor, yes? And that’s because you’re naked, wide open, nowhere and nothing left to hide.

But what if we take that fear of being naked and turn it into liberation for being ourselves with no holds barred? What if we see our naked self as an incredible opportunity to tap into our strength and strut our stuff?

What if we have to get naked before we can know who we truly are? No false pretences. No fake beliefs. No paraded principles. Nothing but us, as we are, as we feel.

Vulnerable. Fragile. Exposed. Naked. Inasmuch as we automatically resist these states, we can’t evolve without them.

We cannot grow if old, harmful habits are holding us back; they have to be peeled away first.

We cannot shine if layers of doubt and timidity are insulating our brilliance; they have to be stripped away before we can step into the highest versions of ourselves.

“When doubt tries to turn your dreams into ashes, fuel up  your flames and torch the doubt instead. Your dreams are your life-blood; protect them with everything you have.”

Otiti Jasmine (that’s me! :D)

We cannot fly if our wings are bound and chained to the ground; we have to be freed so we can soar as high as we’re made to.

Naked. Vulnerable. Open. Your purest essence yearning for you to strengthen it so you can live truer to your spirit and your purpose. Your purest essence needing you, daring you to push yourself harder than ever before and go after that dream so fantastic you daren’t let yourself even consider it.

But if you’ve been laid bare for all to see, what have you got to lose by leaving your heart on your sleeve?

It’s generally perceived as a weak action or trait, but I put it to you today that it is an incredible act of strength and transparency. Strength because you’re bold enough to be your uncensored exotic self, and transparency because the world will either mock you or love you it discovers who you really are.

At the end of the day, though, should any of that matter if you’re living true to your heart?

We crave acceptance to feel good, yes, but does it fill us up inside? Does it truly nourish our souls and sustain our spirits? No, no, and no again.

We are spiritual beings experiencing a physical existence. Our bodies are secondary to our souls, not the other way around. It takes more than fleeting gratification to fill the void within, doesn’t it? We all need authentic spiritual practices to feel whole and at peace inside.

Even those who aren’t religious or who shy away from identifying with any particular system of faith eventually add spiritual elements like meditation and yoga to their daily routine. We can’t help it. It’s who we are. It’s what we need.

If you’re a soul explorer like me (and you probably are since you’re reading this blog), you’re bound to have wondered what point there is in being here in the first place.

What purpose do we serve? Why are we here? Where are we going?

This is where vulnerability comes in. This is where openness comes in. This is where embracing naked comes in. It’s all about hearing what your heart has to say and giving your spirit what it needs.

What’s your heart saying? What’s your spirit needing? Chances are it goes something like this:

“I want to be loved. I want to feel I matter. I need to connect so I know I’m not alone and I don’t have to be afraid. I need to connect so I know other people feel the same things I do and understand where I’m coming from.”

Am I right?

Faith. Strength. Energy. Love. These are all intangible things we need on a daily basis. We can’t touch them; we can only feel them deep within. In our hearts. In our souls. Only with our spirits do we feel; our bodies merely serve as the vessels for our emotions.

If you’ve been reading me for some time now, you know I’m all about stirring your soul to live your dream. And the only way I know how to do that is to challenge you, to stretch you, to expand you. I’m on this journey with you. We’re all learning together. I just have these words literally keeping me awake at night until I put pen to paper and let them all out. Why? Because I believe in truth and transparency. I believe in sharing and loving and growing. I believe in community, and I believe in you.

I started this post as much for me as I did for you. I felt empty, and lost, and naked. I felt like my well had run dry and nothing would fill it. Then I got an inkling that maybe it was time to drill a new well. Maybe it was time for me to embrace naked and leave myself open to the next stage of my evolution.

Maybe it was time to feed my spirit more. Connect to the Divine. Commune with God. Have a real relationship because I want one, not because anyone says I should. Pray because it comes from my heart, not because it’s a mandate to obey.

I talk a lot about speaking your truth and making your voice heard, so here’s my confession today: I still feel lost sometimes. I still feel overwhelmed by actually living as boldly as I yearn to and dancing in my passion like I’m called to. I still shrink back from strapping my heart to my sleeve and leaving myself open. I’m still afraid of being vulnerable and naked. And most of all, I’m still afraid of failing. 

But at the same time, I realise that it’s not about the fear or discomfort. It’s not about avoiding external criticism and conflicting views or opinions. It’s about staying true to your spirit and what you feel inside. It’s about having the courage to stand tall after your insulating layers fall away to reveal your truth and dreams and yearning.

It’s about saying, “This is me. I’m still learning. I’m still growing. I’m open to change, and I’m open to becoming more of who I really am”, and not caring what anybody else says or thinks. Because at the end of the day, we’re here to live our lives. Fully, wholeheartedly, as deeply and widely as we can. And if we have to get vulnerable and naked to do it, bring it ON.

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

Diane Ackerman

So, what do you say about feeling naked? Will you resist it or embrace it? Are you ready to dance in the beauty it has to offer? I’d love to hear your take on this. Will your voice be heard? Let’s make it happen below, people.