Last night my family attended a monster truck race. I’ll just say…it wasn’t what I expected. Except for the food. The food was EXACTLY what I expected. Aaron got a funnel cake, and Cari Jill came back to the stands carrying a large cellophane bag emblazoned with the words:
Cholesterol free!
Preservative Free!
Gluten Free!
Fat Free!
Now, before you congratulate me for having raised a child dedicated to making healthy choices, I’ll just go ahead and stop you right there. She was holding a giant bag of—wait for it—COTTON CANDY!
Conveniently left off of this bag were phrases like:
Artificial Color!
Loaded with sugar!
Spin the truth much, eh?
But I’m not one to talk. I do this every single day. My carefully curated life would make you believe that my kids are always happy, my dog is the cutest little thing on the planet, and my food should be in a magazine.
I’m reminded how easy it is to spin the truth in my own life, how often I’m not honest with myself about what’s really inside.
Last week, I was asked two important questions:
What do you want people to know about you?
What do you NOT want people to know about you?
Yikes.
My accountability group full of women who have known each other for only the better part of this past year answered these questions. We let the vulnerability tumble out. Tears spilling down our cheeks, we spoke of the hurtful things said to us when we were children and the things we’ve allowed ourselves to carry into adulthood. We talked of dreams deferred and mistakes we’ve made. We spoke of how we’ve grown and changed. We confessed that we wanted to be difference-makers. It was cathartic, and it was truth.
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
One day, you will be able to trace the work you’re meant to do to your life story. I always tell my kids to tell the truth about who they are. I tell them that because those are words I need to hear.
I don’t know where you are today. Maybe it looks like you have it all together, but inside you feel like you are crumbling. Maybe you feel lonely or maybe you feel unequipped. Think about why you feel that way. What do you want people to know about you? What do you NOT want people to know about you? Both are clues to who you really are and the work you’re meant to do.
That fluffy bag of cotton candy might have looked pretty, and the words on the bag weren’t lies, but the truth wasn’t on there either. My daughter only ended up eating about half of what she purchased. She didn’t feel very good.
Inauthenticity never makes us feel very good.
This week, make a pact to tell the truth about who you are.