Clark Kent, Speaking Shame, and Fertility Treatments

On inoculating ourselves against ruined reputations

Dear reader, 

Imagine vocalizing the things you’re most afraid of sharing. And imagine viewing your vulnerability as something entirely different; not as a soft spot or a susceptibility, but instead as a stroke of strength and bulwark. The opposite of sensitivity, you are bolstering your grit and equanimity. 

Tim Ferriss has spoken about diving into conversations and ventures as a means of inoculating himself against a ruined reputation. In an effort to practice anti-fragility, he actively moves toward and into the areas that have the potential to influence others’ opinions of him. 

He isn’t precious with his storytelling, or his life for that matter. An experimentalist at heart, he cares more about following his interests than he does protecting his ego or fame. As a result, he inspires and moves millions with his enduring (and palpable) authenticity.

Writing is my own version of inoculation against shame and fragility, and it always has been. Albeit, there are myriad reasons why it is different today than it was ten years ago. I was the young girl and adolescent who kept journals and diaries at her bedside. At night, I would flip to an empty page and recount my day for absolutely no one.

I could ask questions without repercussions and share unnavigable emotions without criticism. The moment I shut my bedroom door, I stepped out of one world into a new one. Something I relied on for many years.