Episode #169 Be Completely Honest

Seven Problems

• Complete honesty is completely terrifying.
• It is most difficult to be honest when it comes to our identity and our emotions.
• We will struggle to be honest with others if we are not first honest with ourselves.
• Silence is often uncomfortable because it requires us to come face-to-face with what we are thinking and feeling.
• Dishonesty with others and discomfort with ourselves can negatively affect our physical health.
• Shallow relationships are safer but less meaningful than substantial relationships.
• If we are fully loved without being fully known, we will always wonder whether we are actually loved at all.

Three Principles

• Honesty is a prerequisite to healing.
• Emotional honesty is not the opposite of critical thinking, and it actually leads to more rational decisions.
• The depth of our relationships is measured by our degree of honesty and by others’ response to that honesty.

Three Practices

• Take your emotional temperature at intervals throughout the day by considering, “What is going on inside of me?”
• When you struggle to understand your emotions, explore them by expressing them.
• Identify, “Is it more difficult for me to be honest with myself, with others, or with God?”