We’ve all heard the saying ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’ and most of us understand it to mean be authentic. What we can perhaps then ask is…
- how well do you know yourself
- how often do you feel you can be the real you
- do you have the courage to follow your heart and intuition
- how fully do you express yourself?
Expressing our self fully comes when we feel secure within our self, when we know who we are and what we stand for, when we’re clear about our values.
When we don’t know who we are, we can find it challenging. If we try to fit in and say what will get approval, if we’re afraid to say the wrong thing or look to spare the feelings of others…. then we will not express our self fully and end up feeling conflicted within.
How is it for you? What do you need to move beyond in order to speak up, be honest and at the same time be respectful of others?
One of the threads of my life has been a fear of being seen and heard. What I’ve learned is it’s better to speak openly and honestly than compromise yourself. And…what you need in order to do this is…
- Understand who you are now and be open to who you are becoming
- Accept yourself warts and all
- Speak from your heart in your own way
- Be prepared for people to disagree, to receive feedback, don’t take things personally.
Choosing to be silent, hoping it will all go away, we can end up feeling cross with ourself for not standing for who we are. Sugar-coating the truth doesn’t help either.
In order to collaborate and build relationships and community, we do need to be discerning in how we communicate…and there’s always learning.
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