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  • Being vulnerable is hard.

  • It's for you.

  • Because it means opening yourself up to being emotionally hurt

  • and who wants that?

  • Who wants to open up only to be smacked down?

  • But being vulnerable today means having the courage to be yourself in a world where we curate people's perceptions of us,

  • where we equate our value with likes and subscribers,

  • and where we're raised to think that what's out here is more important than what's in here.

  • But I think being vulnerable is such a beautiful thing,

  • and the key to more intimate relationships.

  • It gives you a deeper connection with family, friends, or a partner.

  • And yes, it's scary as fuuuck!

  • A few weeks ago, I pissed my pants when I was out with my boyfriend.

  • He didn't notice because I tied my jacket around my waist.

  • But I had the options of basically playing it off and hoping that it dried soon,

  • or just owning it and telling him.

  • And between, like, crying and laughing, I ultimately decided,

  • Fuck it! I'll just tell him, I guess, because this is me.

  • I'm a 27 year old woman who just pissed her pants walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.

  • [Deep Breath]

  • And, uh, he was really nice. He was just like, "I love you so much. That's hilarious."

  • And we went on our merry way.

  • And obviously this was like an incredibly vulnerable moment because

  • I was pretty sure I was going to be judged or he was gonna be disgusted,

  • or worst case scenario, he would ride off into the sunset in a rented Mustang,

  • and he would find another woman.

  • But none of those things happened.

  • And we are definitely closer for it.

  • So even if you're not ready to, like, piss your pants in the name of vulnerability,

  • I do think that being vulnerable on an everyday basis is so important.

  • Like, allowing yourself to fall in love, or allowing other people in, or trusting people to know all of you

  • without the fear of rejection or judgment,

  • or at least not letting those fears stop you, is incredibly courageous.

  • And I wanted to talk about this because I know that it's really hard.

  • Like, when you've been burned by someone or when you've been rejected,

  • it's increasingly difficult to let yourself be vulnerable again.

  • And I mean, who hasn't been hurt? We're hurt all the time.

  • But it is just so easy to let yourself become callous or pessimistic or cynical

  • and let these previous experiences deter you from being open again in the future.

  • So I hope you know it just doesn't have to be that way.

  • You can piss your fucking pants and someone will still love you. Who knew? Not me.

  • But I do think that being vulnerable has immense rewards.

  • And yes, sometimes you will get hurt, and sometimes it does have its drawbacks,

  • but you never know what could happen if you don't put yourself out there.

  • You could miss out on love or connection or even potentially a career.

  • Because my job is to share intimate details about my life with strangers and have it live on the internet forever.

  • So I encourage you to live your life with more vulnerability.

  • Love recklessly. Be who you are with no shame.

  • And if you piss your pants, tell the whole fucking world.

  • I'm Anna Akana. I'll probably regret this.

  • I just want to say thank you so much to Squarespace for sponsoring today's episode.

  • They have beautiful award-winning templates and an all-in-one platform,

  • so there's no install, patches, or upgrades ever.

  • Not to mention if you ever just want to say hi at anytime of the day,

  • or like, "Hi, I love you. Do you remember me?"

  • They have 24 hour customer service.

  • And if you don't have a domain, don't worry.

  • They offer a simple and unique setup experience.

  • And you could have, like, any kind of website really,

  • whether you're like an artist or a photographer, or you just want to make like a fan page for your bae

  • to be like, "Look how much I love you. Here's all your photos in one place."

  • [DEEP BREATH]

  • You can go to Squarespace.com and start your free trial today.

  • And just don't forget to use the offer code "Anna" for 10% off at checkout.

  • Squarespace. I love you.

Being vulnerable is hard.

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