“One of the most commonly overlooked spiritual practices is daring to be completely honest with everyone you encounter. Some may say others cannot handle their honesty, but true honesty is not a strategy or a weapon of any kind. It is the willingness to be open and absolutely transparent in sharing how any moment feels in your heart. It has nothing to do with confrontation, accusation, or any form of blame. True honesty is the willingness to stand completely exposed, allowing the world to do what it may, and say what it will, only so you may know who you are – beyond all ideas.” – Matt Kahn
“When someone says words that may not feel good in your body, seem sarcastic in tone, and are meant to judge versus uplift you, this only offers you greater opportunities to raise the vibration of your response. By responding to anyone’s criticism with love, compassion and acceptance, you are stepping forward as a master of relationships to create your own experiences, which has nothing to do with how anyone treats you.” – Matt Kahn
Responding to the world with open and sincere honesty is rare, even having truly honest conversations between friends is not that common when we feel that we always need to wear a mask so that we are perceived in a certain way.
True honesty is not about attacking others for what they do “wrong”, it’s about taking off our own masks and revealing the honesty of our own humanness – being sincere about how we’re experiencing this moment.
Here is an example of how simple honest conversations can be when we put down the masks that hide how we feel. Just imagine being able to approach difficult conversations with something like this:
“I can clearly see that it wasn’t your intention to hurt me by what you said, although I still can’t help but feel attacked. I’m trying not to feel this way but I’m struggling to put it down right now.”
I’ll remind you of how Matt Kahn describes honesty: “true honesty is not a strategy or a weapon of any kind. It is the willingness to be open and absolutely transparent in sharing how any moment feels in your heart. It has nothing to do with confrontation, accusation, or any form of blame. True honesty is the willingness to stand completely exposed, allowing the world to do what it may, and say what it will, only so you may know who you are.”
This kind of sincere honesty is disarming because it doesn’t attack the other, instead it shares itself with transparency and creates a space that’s inviting of honesty as the way forward for all involved.
This level of honesty requires recognizing those moments where my habit has been to reach for an old mask to hide what I really feel, and to slowly, slowly lean into the courage it takes to learn how to express my experience without turning into an attacker myself.
To cultivate a more honest approach to communication, consider these guiding thoughts:
- Be present: Focus on the moment and your genuine feelings, rather than dwelling on past experiences or future anxieties.
- Listen with empathy: Seek to understand the other person’s perspective, without judgment or defensiveness.
- Express yourself authentically: Share your thoughts and feelings honestly, without fear of rejection or criticism.
- Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of honest communication.
Today’s meditation journey explores some of the masks that we might have picked up as part of our baggage, and provides an opportunity to practice how you might have an honest conversation without hiding how you feel.
You are so welcome to join us.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: The masks we wear.
(image credit: https://www.canstockphoto.com/)