What’s Possible with Honesty?
Will you do a quick thought experiment with me?
Yes?
Great!
Read through this list of experiences and scenarios…
Holiday gatherings, road trip conversations, therapy appointments, your weekly poker game, running into an old friend at the grocery store, parenting with your partner/spouse/co-parent, your daily interactions with your coworkers or employer or employees, your board or marketing meeting, your stand up comedy set, your wedding vows, one night stands, an interaction with your waiter or the person who works at your favorite plant shop, workout sessions with your gym buddy, your book club meetings, your volunteering, your men’s group meetings, the crush you’ve had on your study partner, your relationship with your parents…
Now consider the following…
There’s no part of life- our human experience- that couldn’t be somehow impacted by or transformed through HONESTY.
Imagine any of those relationships or human experiences I listed above, and INFUSE THAT IMAGE WITH MORE HONESTY. With bold self expression. With vulnerable openness.
OR– is there something in your life that’s not “working” for you right now, that’s not mentioned in the list above?
Picture it… Imagine yourself sharing more of what’s REALLY happening for you in that situation, with that person. And not because it’s good, or right, or BETTER somehow to be honest, but because you’re experimenting with being more genuinely YOU. What’s possible there, with more sharing? With the authenticity and vulnerability you generally avoid? Or maybe with the fire and audacity that you usually stifle?
Even if it’s just being a tad more revealing in any of those situations than you normally would, what could come of those interactions? What if you finally said that thing you’ve been thinking for the last 6 months, or the last 10 years??
Okay, so like actually close your eyes for a few minutes and picture these scenarios. With MORE HONESTY.
Did you do it? Did you conjure up some possibilities that get you tingling and feeling giddy? Or get your heart pounding and palms sweating? A possibility that inspires or motivates you? Or terrifies you?
If picturing more honesty in different scenarios and with different people in your life gets your juices flowing and your body buzzing, imagine how you’ll feel actually bringing that honesty into your life, into your relationships, your workplace… your meetup group or bowling team!
Could you get that raise you’ve been pining for? Or the date you’ve been afraid to ask for?
Maybe you’d get through the muck and create a parenting plan that works for both of you and makes life so much easier.
Maybe you’d cooperatively end a relationship that’s really already been over for a while now.
Could you get others onboard to start a new project at work that you’ve been daydreaming about, that gets you all reinvigorated about your company’s mission?
Maybe that one night stand turns into the most bold AND vulnerable experience you’ve ever had with a “stranger” and you learn a world of new information about yourself and your desires that frees you up in ways you never dreamed.
What if you admitted to the guys in your men’s group that you’ve been dying to suggest that you all expand beyond sitting in a circle and talking with each other, and you all decide to start organizing and running a monthly storytelling night at the nearby assisted living home?
Maybe you’d have the BEST comedy set of your life, and the audience would laugh hysterically AND be moved AND be inspired by your bravely authentic hilarity, and then you’d be inspired to finally start that honestly hilarious podcast you’ve been hesitant to start because you worried people wouldn’t find the “real” you interesting or funny, but then THEY DO.
Maybe you’d finally hear from the folks in your book club that they are really just NEVER going to agree to read post-apocalypse zombie memoirs, and then you part ways and start a new book club!
THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN when we put ourselves out there and risk saying that thing, try being a little more bold, or a lot more honest. When we experiment with being more ourselves, more of the time, or in those settings where we have historically hidden ourselves, SURPRISING THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
Sure, sometimes honesty can also lead to things we DON’T want, things we’ve been avoiding, things that feel uncomfortable.
But maybe some of those not-so-great-feeling outcomes are worth some of the AMAZING feeling outcomes that we get some of the time??
Who knows unless we try?!
Maybe it’s worth experimenting with a bit of revealing? Dabbling in frankness?
YOU COULD GIVE IT A TRY RIGHT NOW! I invite you to pay attention for the rest of the day: are you biting your tongue when talking to others? If so, want to challenge yourself- speak up, say what you’re really thinking, maybe even admit that you’re trying out being more honest and forthcoming- and see what happens?
OR…
If you’d rather experiment with a dedicated group in a Radical Honesty Half-day Online Workshop, you can SIGN UP FOR THAT RIGHT HERE. A small, intimate group will gather online on Saturday, June 4th, 12-4pm EST and get into the fundamentals of the practice.
Thanks for playing along with the thought experiment! I hope you got your imagination flowing about what’s possible for YOU in your life, with Radical Honesty.
Lindsay
P.S. Are you curious about other offerings? Check out all upcoming events, here.