You speak truth. What is that? It’s your authentic feelings. It’s your real honesty. It’s your awkward statements, inappropriate jokes and unfiltered honesty about how they move you. How you feel around them. How you feel about yourself when you’re with them. That is part of authentic feelings and honesty. Think about it…some of the deepest emotional movements you ever have, happen when someone is being honest with you. When someone pulls you aside and tells you how they feel when they’re with you. It moves you. It bothers you. It makes you feel warm.
Grand gestures can mean the world….but it’s not the object or thing we get that means the most to us…it’s the thought, attempt and planful intention of it. I make it a habit to practice honesty. When I’m with someone and feel something from them, I want them to know it. Do I feel welcomed by them? Do I feel heard by them? Do I feel a warmth coming from them that I don’t get from any others? I take the time to pay attention to what is happening to me and tell them. Part of this is knowing who I am and what I bring. What belongs to me and what belongs to you. It’s not just about this either…it’s about knowing my superpowers and respecting yours.
What do you bring? How do you move people? How do you make people feel? The sad part is that if you’ve never asked this of yourself…you’ve probably been selfish and have not considered it.
The troublesome part? You may be the most honest and real person that you can be…but unfortunately…it doesn’t mean that others will be. Indeed, most of the time people will hide, protect and defend themselves. They will not be honest with how they feel…what they think…what they really want to give. What do you do? Do you continue to be honest knowing that others may not be honest in return? Or do you shut them all out and keep emotional honesty to yourself?
I don’t know. You have to make a decision. For me, I choose to continue honesty, transparency and emotional truth…I choose to tell people how I feel around them. I don’t do it for them. I do it for me. Really, the question then isn’t how I can move people…the question is how do people move me. How do I let them move me. How do I let them infect me. Bother me. Warm me. Do I let people tear me down? Why? I’m good enough at that on my own. I have a responsible then to me to be the most authentic and real person that I can be. It means if you move me, I will let you know. I’m not trying to hit on you, I’m not trying to sleep with you, I’m letting you know how you have moved me and I’m thanking you.