Photo Credit: Jaskirat Singh Bawa via Compfight
My former boss was celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary a few months ago and I asked him what was the secret of staying together for so long. And he said “Communication.”
“Of course, communication is important” I thought to myself disappointed because I was expecting something more profound, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about that advice.
I’ve started noticing that many times we don’t say exactly what we mean. When we’re angry instead of saying what is really upsetting to us, we focus on something trivial. If I’m bored with a conversation I say “well I’ll let you go, because I’m sure you’re busy” when really I want to say “I have nothing more to say to you.”
Or when we choose to celebrate our birthdays with a huge crowd, when we would rather spend the time with a good book.
Or when we date someone for years only because we feel like we can’t tell them that we’re not sure we’d like to spend the rest of our lives together.
But then there are people who pride themselves on being honest, but really they are mean, rude, and selfishly hurtful.
My question is can we be polite and still be honest? Can we feel free to be ourselves without being afraid that others may think us strange?
I challenge you this week to say at least one thing you really mean, one random thought that crosses through your mind. People may think you’re strange, but that’s okay, the important thing is realizing that it’s okay to be you.
