Honestly, Honesty is Underrated

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. 

- Dr. Suess

I listened to a couple podcasts by the Brilliant Idiots and another podcast by Joe Rogan the other day and really got inspired to write about honesty. Now there is a lot I can say about this topic but i'm going to try and break it down into two categories: honesty with yourself and honesty with others. 

There's something about comparing ourselves to others and "fitting in," that just seems like the most comfortable thing to do. But when it comes to understanding who it is that you truly are, the most important question you should be asking is are you being honest with yourself? It's easy to say "yeah, of course I'm being honest," but really think about that for a second. When is the last time you've done something that you've been completely sure of about doing or saying? Now hopefully you said today, but I guarantee that most of my readers are probably having to think about it for a minute. Which is normal. We go about our days reacting to things in the way that feels the most comfortable to us in the moment. Here is an example. Let's say I went out with friends tonight knowing I have to present a final and be up by 7 tomorrow morning. I didn't really want to go out but some how my friends convinced me it was a good idea and now I'm sitting at a bar knowing I won't wake up tomorrow if I drink. Then my friend hands me a FREE drink. What do you think I'll do? Ya girl gonna take it, duh. Knowing it wouldn't be right for me to have a drink tonight, but taking it anyway thinking "I'll only have one," would be dishonest to what I know is good for me, no? But in a situation like that, I would take the drink because all my friends are drinking and the drink was almost a gift. That doesn't mean I was being honest with myself. Now obviously thats a pretty small scale example but think about how many times you've done something just because your friends were doing it even when you knew it was wrong. Most of us have done this a time or two. Normal. But the point of the matter is that we should be aware of when we are lying to ourselves. We need to live our truth, no matter if it is against what other people are doing. This sometimes means stepping out of our comfort zone to stay true to your morals. We prevent ourselves from growing by hiding behind little lies we tell ourselves to conform to society and to take the easy road out. Sometimes unpopular opinions or your truth is hard to come to terms with, but in the end it's what will inevitably lead to living a better life.

Here's the thing about being dishonest with ourselves: it consequently may lead to lying to others too. Sometimes when we pretend to be something we're not or say something we didn't mean it can hurt the people around you. This is turn can lead you to losing people in your life you never thought would leave because your lies out weighed what would've happened had you told the truth. I've been in plenty of situations where it would've been so easy for me to lie about something instead of telling the truth because I felt the other person wasn't going to accept my honesty. And it's pretty scary to be in that position ngl. But what I've come to realize in time is that the people who are worth being a part of my life are the ones who will accept anything and everything I throw their way and respect me so much more for being real. The people who can't handle your truth I guarantee aren't worth your time. So what do you really have to lose by being honest with the people around you?

Joe Rogan's podcast makes another point about coming out and being honest with yourself and others that I just want to mention briefly. Coming out and speaking your truth is the chance for others to not only get to know you, but to learn from the things that you know. Basically give other people a chance to see life through your perspective and learn from the knowledge that you have on things. Similarly Pastor Carl Lentz (ft. in the Brilliant Idiots latest podcast) mentions how everyone has a separate truth. People living different lifestyles believe different things are right and wrong. So being honest with yourself and with others tells a story they can only hear through your words. Though it may be hard at times, speaking on the things that you know is a way to spread your knowledge onto others.

To summarize the things I've learned from the podcasts in my own words... Honesty allows us to grow and to let people into to our world. It allows us to connect not only to others but to our true self. And when it comes to the truth, there is nothing that brings us closer to the light that staying real to who we are.

Peace and Love,
Jaz