The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.
John Wooden
Who are you really? What parts of you have you hidden so long that you’ve forgotten who you really are?
We live in a world where we have come to value perception of others more than reality. Because the truth is, reality is messy. Reality is hard. Each of our true selves are projects under construction. No one alive is a completed project.
So, maybe it’s time that we reveal our true selves. Maybe what this increasingly divided and isolated world needs is for us to first be honest with ourselves and then be honest with each other.
Are you afraid of rejection? Welcome to the world every single person walks in. We are afraid that others will toss us away if we are honest. If we admit our fears, then we reveal that we aren’t invincible. If we admit our faults, we admit we aren’t perfect. If we concede that we don’t have a perfect life, then we only reveal that we are works in progress.
You know what? We all are.
You never know what parts of your story could help someone through a tough time in their life. You never know the rescue and connection that comes from us admitting our faults. When we share our faults, then we share our lives, and we don’t pretend to like each others masks for what they pretend to be.
Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…”
CS Lewis
A picture perfect life is one truly lived. Dirt and sunshine. Good and bad.
It’s time we were honest with ourselves. It’s time to make some friends. It’s time to live a life that is real and authentic instead of one lost behind a mask.
