There’s a sort of misunderstanding to the word “invincible”. Please note, I didn’t say “Invisible” – that’s the opposite of what I want for you.
“Invincible” almost implies superhero status or tough guy attitude. And I don’t think many of us would feel that we fall into that persona.
But I think of it more like this: “Learn to exist in the world with an invincible heart.“
Did you suffer heartbreak? You get over it and love again.
Did you stand up for something you believe in and get shot down? You get over it and do it again next time.
And each time you get stronger and recover more quickly.
Until the things that try to hit you in the heart don’t hurt. All you have left is a powerful love that you put into the world and the ability to create amazing works of art that create a better world. The strength of that love makes the things that take aim at your heart puny and incapable of penetrating it.
Please don’t think I’m saying “man up” or “grow some balls” or any of that macho BS. I’m saying it’s ok to hurt, it’s ok to be vulnerable and feel pain.
And don’t mistake being invincible for being hard or being cold or being incapable of feeling heartbreak.
The bravest thing you can do is allow your heart to feel, despite all of the pain you’ve experienced in this life.
The bravest thing is to allow yourself to love people so much that you actually experience heartbreak.
It hurts.
And I’ve been on both sides. I’ve completely shut down and stopped feeling. I didn’t cry for YEARS. And I’ve opened myself back up and allowed myself to feel hurt and joy and all of the feelings.
And shit, I’ll take feeling.
After thawing from a frozen old man at age 30 to a warm-hearted man at nearly 40, I see how beautiful the human experience is, purely because of the range of emotions we’re capable of feeling.
I see how easy it is to run away from feeling because of past hurt and I see how difficult it is to remain open.
My heart truly wants to be open. My brain wants to find ways to stop me from feeling pain.
I don’t blame myself for shutting down. I’m not surprised that people do.
But I think it’s up to all of us to create a better world and I believe the key to that is for all of us to feel our feelings and love each other, no matter how different we all seem.
In the end, if that’s how we all end up, then maybe we are superheroes afterall.
I love you.
As always, Stay Invincible (not “invisible”)