My Fourth Entry - Becoming Open and Honest

Being Transparent with those you care about is essential to a healthy relationship. This concept is about being open and honest. It includes a willingness to be clear and available. Transparency helps you avoid behaving in ways that could damage the connections you have or want.

Deception, compulsion and affairs can’t exist in an environment where each partner is transparent. A person once said to me that the way he stayed healthy was to act in ways that his mother or father would find respect. This allowed him to exhibit behaviors that were value based and not centered on what he described as “the sins of lust, greed, arrogance, laziness, or self-centeredness.” While you may not agree with many of your parents’ values, he felt that his parents had a high degree of integrity, civility and dependability. He was aspiring for these qualities in his life.

Take this time to grade yourself on being transparent from F-A:

F D C B A

If you rated yourself a B+ or less then this concept may need your continuing consideration.

How can being transparent help improve your life?

What are the reasons why is may be difficult to be open and honest with your other?

If you find that your answer to the question above includes that you don’t want to share your past behaviors you regret, consider starting with your current life. Don’t let your past stop you from being healthy NOW. If you aren’t sure you want to share certain things, don’t... until you determine if the person is a safe person who has a right to know.

Today’s Truth. If you are lying to others, you are lying to yourself. It is a constant about our lives that we risk self-esteem, relationships and even our freedom if we can’t live a truthful, respectful life that is free from the duplicity that can make for stress and isolation.