One of the most challenging things you will encounter as you write your personal stories is the need to tell the truth. Most of us live our lives with so-called acceptable versions of the truth, truths stripped of as much pain as possible, truth that is at best faint, at its worst no where near the truth.
I’m not writing here about facts, what I want to bring to your attention is the need for emotional truth. Your unique, personal, emotional truth. What events and circumstances really felt like, what their true impact on your life is or was.
Too often we think it is easier to dismiss emotional truth, afterall, we’re adults, let’s just get on with it, or over it or ignore it.
There’s a significant cost to papering over the emotional truth of one’s life. We learn to live half-lives, lives where we are so desperate to avoid being alone with ourselves that we get into all manner of scrapes, behaviours and situations, just to make certain we are never, for any extended time, in our own company.
It takes self-reflection and honesty to come to know and accept who we really are, to know the truth of our lives, all the warts and foibles, and all the joys. You can’t do this when the only time you spend alone is in the shower.
We need to make a commitment to discover the truth of our lives, and that commitment requires time for self-reflection, time spent alone.
The benefits of taking the time to get to know who you really are, are significant. You will live with less fear and more integrity. You will be stronger. Best of all you will be happier and more able to welcome joy into your life.
That’s worth quite a bit, don’t you think?
So get that notebook and pen out, book yourself a nice block of alone time and start your self-reflection and the journey to your true self. I’m sure you’ll be amazed.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m hooked on Morning Pages for this purpose. Not always three pages (sometimes less, often more) and not every single day, but most days. Starting with only a twelve-week commitment to try it was what got me going. I needed the commitment, and that was the longest I could fathom making it for. It was enough. I’m hooked. Spiritual memoir underway.
Yes, allowing that emotional truth to come out and be visible is very important, and yes, writing whether it be in morning pages, blogs or in letters is a perfect way of starting the ‘clean-up’ or is ‘sorting’ a better expression, in that clean-up reminds me of dirt removal and emotional memories aren’t necessarily ‘dirty’ – they just need to be looked at for what they are, not for what there were assumed to be =-)
Looking forward to reading more and writing more