Fudging the Edges

Truth is, telling the truth can be deceivingly difficult! I’m not one to go around telling big porkies, but sometimes I notice that I haven’t been completely truthful either, mostly to myself.

Just the other day, someone asked me to help them with something I really don’t like doing. I also knew it would take a while and I was already exhausted from a big day. So of course I said yes! The truthful me who raves on about valuing authentic relationships completely vanished.

On this same exhausting day, my husband asked me if I was ok. Again, I said yes. (Reality check: I was NOT ok. I was disappointed that something I tried didn’t work and at a loss to know what to try next. None of those words came out of my mouth.)

I’ve seen this many times with people I’ve been coaching, who happily tell me how upset they are about something a co-worker has done. But they get really squirmy if I suggest talking about it with the the other person.

I know these can seem like small things and we can choose to be polite rather than completely honest. But I suspect that each little time I fudge around the edges of how I really feel, I create more distance from people I care about. I miss a chance to make a genuine connection with them.

Life’s too short to miss those opportunities. Time to learn how to wear uncomfortableness like I love it.

Image: Roasted Root