Don’t Trade Your Authenticity for Safety…Be Honest

Quote of the Week

“If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.” – Brené Brown

Honesty is Liberating 

This month’s theme is honesty. Honesty will be the foundation for each weekly mantra for the month of June.  It’s so important to be honest with yourself and those around you.  Life is too short to live a dream you aren’t passionate about. Life is too short to lie to yourself and others about who you are and what you want in this life.

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Kesha Monk, a radio personality, visionary and two-time cancer survivor, and she said something that really resonated with me. She walked me back to the moment when the doctor gave her her diagnosis. Colon cancer.

In a few words, she was devastated and thought she was going to die. Her long and draining battle with cancer reminded her that the things we often stress and obsess over, aren’t that important after all. The message that I took from Kesha’s interview, is to be honest and live life to the fullest because life is short and there’s nothing worse than looking back over your life with a bunch of regrets.

My Bad Habit

The past year has been full of personal revelations and challenging tests. Two truths that I’ve come to accept about myself are:

1) I’m a work-a-holic which makes it very difficult for me to take breaks and chill

2) I frequently take on more than I can handle which causes me to stress and become anxious

I’d like to think that I can handle it all and be superwoman but the reality is, I can not and I am not. And that’s ok.  One of my past supervisors gave me valuable advice when I was in graduate school trying to multitask and manage multiple jobs and projects.

She said, “Be honest with yourself and others when it comes to what you can handle. It’s better to be upfront than to take on more than you’re able to and possibly strain relationships and affect your productivity and progress.”

As I plan my upcoming wedding, my move to California and make time for my family and those who hold special places in my life, I’m going to focus on being honest and upfront.

You know whenever you put a declaration like this out in the universe you’re met with an opportunity to exercise your affirmation.

Honesty can be as simple as you answering a painless question or as challenging as learning to say no to experiences, relationships or people that no longer serve you well.

Let’s Chat: How can you use this month’s theme in your life? What will you begin to do today that will get you closer to your end goal?