"And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin
I finally let my walls down because they were too painful to maintain. Vulnerability is being tender to oneself, and we have to forgive ourselves.
The Buddhists have it right - don't get attached to anything except your own happiness. As long as you have that as your basis, nothing can really harm you.

You have already said it, "armor." The problem occurs when you let someone in. That's when your shed your armor and become vulnerable. I'm not saying you shouldn't do that, but opening your heart to someone always makes you vulnerable.

My modus operandi has always been "Open heart, open mind."

Then I was hurt by two "players." I felt sad, disillusioned and all kinds of stupid.

It is impossible to be open to love, yet keep your heart in a box, I discovered.

Loving whole-heartedly requires vulnerability.

Enjoy this wonderful, 20 minute TED talk by Dr. Brene' Brown on "The Power of Vulnerability." Her talk changed my life.

[ted.com]

I have some pretty high thick walls. Every once in a while a person finds the door and key and gets inside. And when they go, I’m heartbroken to the point that I declare I’ll never let that happen again because when you let someone in they devastate you. But then I do.

I guess the risk of a broken heart is better than the fear of loneliness? Or maybe I refuse to let go of the thought that while I’m looking for him, he’s looking for me. And eventually our paths will cross. Someplace normal and mundane like the grocery store or the DMV. A some little spark between us will ignite a fire..and suddenly, flames everywhere.

Relationship require you to take chances and become vulnerable. Everyone has to ask if the joy you get out of any given relationship is enough of an upside to balance against what could be betrayal and emotional devastation. Keep your relationships shallow if the risk scares you.