This is a challenge. If you are reading this then it is a challenge for you. I am dragging my foot in the sand between you and I and I am taunting you to step across that line. My eyes are focused and peering into your eyes and I have a sheepish grin purposely etched into my face.
Be radically honest with me. Don't be afraid, don't hide behind your easy-button social excuses, just tell me what you really think. I know that you will have a more difficult time in telling me what you really think, than I will have in hearing it. And I will really hear it as I am critically focused on your words, your behavior and your actions as you divulge that morsel of thought and opinion.
Why is it easier for me to receive than it is for you to give? It's actually very simple although it may seem counterintuitive to you. I am not afraid of learning how I can be a better person and I know that your perception of me may give me crucial insights towards making that happen, or you might be wrong. Either way, I am in control of how I feel and react to what you say. If this challenge unfolds and you actually step across that line, I am in control. That's why I can present this challenge in the first place.
I believe that radical honesty (aka; transparency, being real, being true to you) is the culture of the future. I believe that the same way the Internet changed our information based lives and technology changes what we do, radical honesty will eventually permeate our cultures at home, the office and on the street allowing us to get passed the common social bullshit that we all use right now. I just can't wait so I want to push the 10X button on this machine and make it happen now.
Now, before anyone misunderstands the nature of this radical honesty and starts to believe that I am suggesting hurtful, brutal and angry thoughts being tossed about at one another, what I am suggesting is actually far from it. Radical honesty should be earned or asked for, or both. The value of being honest to any degree weighs heavily upon the level of trust between two people. If there is strong trust and radical honesty is an option then it should be given with the level of compassion and empathy that exists between two people with a solid base of trust between them.
I can listen to anything you say to me if I know you are telling me your truth (aka; radical honesty). I don’t have to agree with you, nor do I have to do anything with your thoughts or words. I just need to honor your honesty, be accepting to it and maybe thanking you. In the reverse; I can tell you exactly how I feel because you won’t react as if being judged. You don’t have to agree with me or take any action in response to my words. We can also end our discussion with not agreeing with each other and we can walk away without being hurt or angry.
Radical honesty is a wave of the future and I believe that one day we’ll find ourselves looking into each other’s eyes, speaking our truth and feeling completely normal about it. Today, we spend times in our own head wondering if people are telling us any part of the truth, maybe the whole truth or none of it all. What would it be like if you could trust everything you were being told by the people around you that you shared trust with? It’s a real question and one worth answering with a radically honest answer, starting today. Why wait?
Be radically honest with me. Don't be afraid, don't hide behind your easy-button social excuses, just tell me what you really think. I know that you will have a more difficult time in telling me what you really think, than I will have in hearing it. And I will really hear it as I am critically focused on your words, your behavior and your actions as you divulge that morsel of thought and opinion.
Why is it easier for me to receive than it is for you to give? It's actually very simple although it may seem counterintuitive to you. I am not afraid of learning how I can be a better person and I know that your perception of me may give me crucial insights towards making that happen, or you might be wrong. Either way, I am in control of how I feel and react to what you say. If this challenge unfolds and you actually step across that line, I am in control. That's why I can present this challenge in the first place.
I believe that radical honesty (aka; transparency, being real, being true to you) is the culture of the future. I believe that the same way the Internet changed our information based lives and technology changes what we do, radical honesty will eventually permeate our cultures at home, the office and on the street allowing us to get passed the common social bullshit that we all use right now. I just can't wait so I want to push the 10X button on this machine and make it happen now.
Now, before anyone misunderstands the nature of this radical honesty and starts to believe that I am suggesting hurtful, brutal and angry thoughts being tossed about at one another, what I am suggesting is actually far from it. Radical honesty should be earned or asked for, or both. The value of being honest to any degree weighs heavily upon the level of trust between two people. If there is strong trust and radical honesty is an option then it should be given with the level of compassion and empathy that exists between two people with a solid base of trust between them.
I can listen to anything you say to me if I know you are telling me your truth (aka; radical honesty). I don’t have to agree with you, nor do I have to do anything with your thoughts or words. I just need to honor your honesty, be accepting to it and maybe thanking you. In the reverse; I can tell you exactly how I feel because you won’t react as if being judged. You don’t have to agree with me or take any action in response to my words. We can also end our discussion with not agreeing with each other and we can walk away without being hurt or angry.
Radical honesty is a wave of the future and I believe that one day we’ll find ourselves looking into each other’s eyes, speaking our truth and feeling completely normal about it. Today, we spend times in our own head wondering if people are telling us any part of the truth, maybe the whole truth or none of it all. What would it be like if you could trust everything you were being told by the people around you that you shared trust with? It’s a real question and one worth answering with a radically honest answer, starting today. Why wait?
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