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You’ve been doing a lot of digging the last few days to unearth your true self. How do you feel? It can be a painful process, but the results will be extraordinary. It is an incredible experience to discover the diamond in your soul and bring it out into the light to sparkle and shine in its unique brilliance.
Today is an assessment day. How have you been doing on your authenticity homework? Are you honest with yourself as you write in your journal? Is there more that you have not yet uncovered about your true self? Drop your fear and do it today. There is no time to waste.
Your authentic self is yearning to be made visible. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were transparent to the world? What kind of power would you feel if you allowed your true brilliance to emerge, rather than keeping it hidden under layers of fear and doubt?
If you make your authentic self visible, you will be living without regret or doubt or fear. When the truth is evident, there is nowhere to hide, no secrets to keep. You are open to receive and give fully to humanity. Doesn’t that sound exciting? What are you waiting for?
Are you afraid that your true self might be rejected? You’re right. There may be people who try to put you down for living an authentic life. But they hold absolutely no power over you. If you make your soul visible, you have the power of truth on your side.
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You are now moving into the next part of the circle that was discussed on Day 60: honesty. You have already spent a lot of time with honesty as you worked to discover your authentic self, and you have an opportunity now to continue to make it an integral part of your everyday life.
Honesty is better than any policy. When you are in doubt over what to do in a given situation, the best tactic is to be honest. There is always a spot in your soul where you can draw on the truth. That place of honesty should be the core of all of your decisions.
Are you honest? Or do you spend more of your time developing policies that you think will help you get what you want? Honesty is not easy. Sometimes the honest road looks a little more harrowing than other directions. It can be a difficult path, but the route is always more direct, and the rewards are always greater. They may not be rewards that include money and prestige, but they will most likely include peace of mind, serenity, and happiness.
Your assignment today is to observe your actions. Were you honest? Did you take credit for something you didn’t do at work? Did you let your husband paint the kitchen a color you really don’t like, because you didn’t want to start an argument? Did you keep the extra dollar bill a cashier gave you by mistake? Did you say you were “fine” when really you felt depressed? Make a mental tally of how many times you are honest today.
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It’s pretty easy to say, “Sure, I’ll be honest. Sounds like a noble idea. Why not?” But you will never truly know if you are capable of honesty until you are tested. Honesty is not easy. It carries with it great rewards, but it is hard to put into action in certain situations.
What if your boss asked you to slightly alter some of the accounting books in order to give the business a tax break? Would you do it? If you practice honesty every day, the answer is simply no. However, when a situation like this comes up, you may start to consider the consequences of your actions. Then the decision is not so easy. If you refuse, will you be fired? How will you support your family?
Nagging questions about consequences may lead you on a detour from the truth. You start to rationalize your actions. What difference will one little change make in the big scheme of things? It will help the company, and you will keep your job. Maybe it would be safer not to make any waves. Next time you’ll stand up to your boss, but right now you need to worry about supporting your family. Soon the line between true and false is smudged.
It is very important to be vigilant in your quest to live an honest life. Integrity is so important if you want to achieve lasting success and be proud of your accomplishments. When you are faced with a chance to smudge the line between truth and falsehood today, your job is to choose the honest path. Do not consider the consequences. If you are honest, the details will take care of themselves.
