We know that honesty is the best policy but all too often, we fail to see what is right in front of us. Because we are always in our own heads, being self-aware can be quite difficult. You don’t enjoy the same distance or objectivity with yourself as you might with others.
Honesty about who you are – warts and all – is fundamental to living life authentically and peacefully. If you want to make peace with yourself, you first have to accept that there are certain conflicts within you and, as Prem Rawat says on https://www.tprf.org/prem-rawat/, “When peace illuminates every human being, there will be real peace.”
Stop Being Judgemental
If you want to change the way you think, you have to stop judging yourself before you can properly analyze your thoughts. Your instinctive judgements are probably based on a heavily biased world view. For example, shy people often judge themselves to be incapable of “normal” conversation, a thought that is reaffirmed every time they panic during an interaction.
The judgements you have about yourself often create a self-fulfilling prophecy. By stepping away and analyzing what happened or what you think more critically, you can often stall your initial judgements and go on to prove them wrong. The shy person will see that they do have something worth saying and not every conversation ends up in disaster. You can take control of your anxieties by being honest about them but avoiding passing quick judgments.
Be More Open
Being more open is one of the best ways to be more honest with yourself and with others. While you don’t need to leave the door to your soul wide open all the time, opening it a crack will allow you to peep out as well as others to peep in. Openness can be tough, especially if you are in the habit of hiding away. However, there are small steps you can take to break out of your comfort zone.
You should start by being more open with those who are closest to you. Tell them how you feel and allow yourself to be a little more vulnerable around them. This will be hard at first so start with something small. Over time, you can build up your confidence and learn that while you are taking a risk by being more open, you also chance the opportunity to grow closer to others.
Accept Yourself
Ultimately, honesty is all about accepting yourself as you are. No-one is perfect but acknowledging your flaws can help you along the route to self-awareness if not self-improvement. Even if you simply decide to do nothing about your flaws, knowing that they are there and part of you can be empowering because they are a part of your story.
When you are honest with yourself, you allow yourself the opportunity to accept who you are without referring back to what you think you ought to be. This is your chance to be authentic and true to yourself.
