Are You Ever Really Honest?

I want you to join me in a thought experiment.

What do you think would happen if you and everyone in your life, you partner, your friends, your colleagues, your bosses, your extended family, everyone openly, honestly and without hostility spoke the truth when talking?

There is no obligation on anyone to actually do what they are asked. I just want you to consider what the world would look like if we all were more open about our goals and our needs.

Would we be happier knowing what others need? Would it be a more pleasant world to live in to know that your employee wants a raise in 4 months if they hit certain targets? Would you be angry if your child told you that they just needed 2 hours alone without you?

Could you handle the truth?

I wish this was life. I long for this kind of reality.

There is so much anxiety tied to not knowing. So much stress that goes along with the unsaid and undone.

I know it’s not easy and I understand it wont take hold overnight but I want to ask you to do something now:

Be more honest today. Just today. For one day.

Don’t be mean. Just be honest.

If someone asks you how you are, don’t lie. Tell them you are tired because you watched Netflix too late last night. If someone asks you what you’d like for lunch, tell them exactly what you’d like even if they likely can’t make it or buy it for you.

If your partner asks you what you want to do over the weekend, think about it and tell them.

That’s it. That’s all I want from you today. One day of increased honesty.

Perhaps you’ll tell you boss exactly what you want out of the next 12 months of work. Perhaps you’ll tell your lover exactly what you want in bed tonight. Perhaps you’ll tell your family that you love them and really mean it. Perhaps you wont have the guts to be honest. I don’t know. But I want to find out.

Comment on this article when your day of honesty is over and tell me about it. What did people say? What did people think? How did they react? How did you feel? Was it easy or difficult to do?

After one day of honesty, tell me if you’d do it again.

One of my Nicisms that I live by is: Be honest if possible.

It’s not always the best idea to be honest, I get that. But when it’s possible you should choose to be honest.

I think the world needs a bit more transparency, openness and honesty when it comes to our communication. I want to decipher less and serve more. I want to be baffled less and useful more. I want more honesty.

How about you?