Your Humanity Is Your Superpower
I shared recently about a period of my life where I’d been navigating CPTSD alongside the challenges of life and business.
Afterwards, someone sent me a message. It was a genuinely well-meaning message, but it really got me thinking.
They asked whether I was worried about how people might react to me sharing something so personal.
What they really meant was...
“Aren’t you worried people might stop believing in your ability?”
And my immediate thought was...
How exhausting it must be for all the people performing on social media, terrified to let anyone see they’re having a human experience because they’re worried it might affect their reputation, their credibility or their sales.
No thank you.
I don’t aspire to that.
I want to learn from the people who’ve crawled on their hands and knees through some of life’s darkest moments and still found a way to keep going.
I want to learn from the people who’ve navigated grief, heartbreak, trauma, business pivots, illness and uncertainty, and have come back carrying wisdom they could only have gained by living it.
Being human doesn’t make you any less exceptional at what you do.
If anything, it demonstrates that you’re in the thick of what it means to be human, throwing every tool, every practice and every ounce of self-awareness at life, whilst still finding ways to show up for other people.
To me...
That’s embodiment.
Let’s be honest. How many people are actually living a flawless, perfect existence?
None.
That’s the point.
Being human isn’t for the faint-hearted.
It’s messy.
It’s expansive.
It’s terrifying.
It’s exciting.
It’s heartbreaking.
It’s beautiful.
It’s all of it.
And it was never meant to look polished.
Every one of us moves through seasons where life asks more of us than we thought we had to give.
When we come out the other side, we don’t just carry the experience.
We carry wisdom.
Our lived experience becomes one of the greatest gifts we have to offer another human being.
Which is why I think this matters now more than ever.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, information is becoming increasingly accessible.
But lived experience? No machine can replicate that.
Our humanity is becoming our greatest currency.
Our stories.
Our resilience.
Our perspective.
Our compassion.
Our willingness to say, “I’ve been there too.”
I didn’t find anyone teaching me how to navigate the last few years of my life. There was no one online saying:
“Hey... if you’re having a panic attack in Starbucks because two people have raised their voices and it’s triggered your CPTSD, whilst simultaneously trying to meet a book deadline... I’ve got you.”
Trust me...
I would have signed up immediately. 😂
So, in case anyone else needs reminding today...
Being human doesn’t diminish your credibility.
It deepens it.
Because somewhere, someone else is walking through the very thing you’ve already survived.
And your lived experience might be exactly what helps them believe they’ll survive it too.
Tons of love,
L x