Honesty

I’ve learned in life that honesty is something that people truly value. I am currently reading a book by HLN host Robin Meade titled, Morning Sunshine: How to Project Confidence and Feel it Too. The author discusses how she found her confidence after years of anxiety attacks. In the book she explains that although she tried to belittle the anxiety issues in front of co-workers and even her husband, it was in hiding her issues that she was actually causing herself to sink deeper into it.

I appreciate Robin’s candidness in sharing so openly about her struggles. I love how she lists things that she likes and dislikes about herself. How great is that? Isn’t it refreshing to see someone that you would otherwise believe had all their ducks in a row admit that they don’t like themselves at times? I know that makes me feel wonderful! It makes me feel like I’m not the only one with some skeletons in my closet. I’m not the only one filled with inner storage boxes of painful memories, insecurities and false belief systems.

I believe that there’s power in transparency. When you are open about the struggles in your own life you not only gain freedom from your problems, but you also free others. It’s often the beginning of healing. People want someone to relate to in life. Experience is often the key to reach others. And when someone has learned that you have lived what they are currently struggling with then they find hope in their own lives.

The HLN anchor also shares how the “Aha moments” actually grant us more responsibility in the long run. Isn’t that the truth? Once you believe you’ve learned a lesson or perhaps have overcome something you’d been struggling with for a while, you are free to then do what you could not do because of it. It opens up doors of new responsibilities in your life.

I love “Aha moments,” just as much as anyone, but I also like the journey of learning. And I don’t believe that we ever arrive at a place where suddenly everything is just fine and all our issues just disappear. We may have breakthroughs in areas that crippled us in the past, but I like to believe that life is a continuous journey full of lessons learned. We are constantly evolving and growing. And I just thank God for His grace because without it I don’t believe I’d have the strength in myself to overcome the many hurdles life has handed me.

Let’s be honest with ourselves and with others. Use wisdom, but be honest. People appreciate authenticity more than phoniness. And none of us has the ultimate answer to anything. I believe there is freedom in not knowing and understanding everything.



~L