on being 'real'

I flatter myself by considering myself 'real.'

And by that, I mean genuine, forthright...you catch my drift. I like to think that when people approach me for advice or my opinion, they do so because they believe I will give them an honest answer. I believe that when I say things to people, I mean those things so truly and sincerely, and I would hope that no one would ever doubt this.

And I place such a high value on candor. When I find out that I have been deceived by someone, or even just shielded from the entire truth, I take it extremely personally. It upsets me greatly.

But on occasion, this utter honesty can get a little tricky.  The truth can hurt, big time, and sometimes there is no way around it. It can suck to hear it; it can suck to say it. I, by no means, want to hurt someone. And I hate to be hurt by truthful words. But is that not better than living under the pretenses of a falsehood?

Recently, I decided to adopt a Policy of Honesty for all facets of my life. Here goes:

I vow to be true to myself, and to my feelings. 

I vow to tell people what they mean to me. 

I vow to stand up for myself. 

I vow to pursue sincerity always, and expect it from others. 

I vow to take people's words at face value. 

I vow to mean what I say 100% of the time. 

I vow to be transparent.

This means I will have to be vulnerable and at times uncomfortable. This means I will have to say things that may not be quite so easy to say.

But I need to stretch myself, and I need to grow. And this is certainly one step in that direction.

all my love,
HAD