40 Part I The Transition to College Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. college experience. When you do poorly on an assignment and have to ask a profes- sor for help, or when you enter into a new social situation, you have the opportunity to approach it in a vulnerable way that will support your growth and health. Thus, the more you can learn to step into your classes and your social life with an open- ness and a sense of vulnerability, the more you will be able to tell your story (as it unfolds) with your whole heart to a community that embraces you. One of Brown’s most significant findings is the connection between vulnerability and bravery. In society, we often see these two concepts as opposites. You can either be a courageous, strong, and dominant person, or a weak defenseless per- son who is open to harm. Yet what Brown discovered through her research is that bravery does not exist without vulnerability. The vulnerability, through the sus- ceptibility to harm, is what makes actions we see as brave in the light we do. If there were no possibility of harm or failure, these actions would not require courage. Bravery can be discovered through vulnerability. As you begin college, you may have more power to set your course and to form your mindset and habits than you have ever had before. You can hit “reset” and change a lot of things for yourself in the next few years, but all of it is up to you! For some of you, the idea that you get to define your own experience might be an obvious conclusion. Truly acknowledging and believing in your power is an example of a microdecision that will either allow you to grow into something new In Your Own Words You have already demonstrated courage in getting yourself to college. Take a moment with your journal to write down and reflect on one step of your journey to applying, choosing, and enrolling in college that required you to be brave. What motivated your bravery in that moment? Was there someone who helped or inspired you to be brave? How were you vulnerable in this moment, and how did that make you feel? Now, make a list of things you’re nervous about as you begin college. Be sure to consider personal, social, academic, community, and professional dimensions. And don’t only focus on one dimension. Don’t be shy—make a big list! 2.7