Practicing Radical Honesty: Part II

Let us continue to reference what Radical Honesty is; I begin again with this description: Radical Honesty is the ability to name and claim a feeling one is experiencing without the need to alter the story, or to try and look good. It is when one calls herself out in full honest form instead of just trying to look good. It is being who you are - as you are - without shame, embarrassment, or excuses. It is being willing to be truthful about what is without concern of reactions or ramifications.

It is a rare individual who has been reared to be honest, open, authentic, unpretentious, and to feel safe enough within their own skin that they do not need to make excuses for who they are. If we did rear our children that way we would see an increase in emotional intelligence. But emotional intelligence is not an automatic given. This is the dictionary meaning for emotional intelligence: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

Testing for emotional intelligence is becoming more and more common when one is being considered for a position in a new job. The work and research that’s been done over the past few years is providing a whole new language and reference for society. Your emotional intelligence can now be measured. A simple read for this purpose is: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves. Along with the book comes a unique code that you can use to test yourself through their system online.

For those of you practicing the Science of Mind™*, you have your hand on the pulse of one of the most potent tools there is for transformation: Spiritual Mind Treatment. But to use it, you must begin with clarity. This is where Radical Honesty comes in to play. Before you can heal, grow or evolve, you must be willing to see, own, and speak about the actions, characteristics, and mistakes that you have made - without hiding, without making excuses, without SHAME or self-condemnation. Practicing Radical Honesty will begin the process of freeing you from the pain of your actions, but first, you must call them out.

The Catholics have confession. The Twelve Steppers have the practice of taking inventory and making amends. Practicing Radical Honesty, combined with a good solid forgiveness practice of self and others, is the path to freedom. Often, we think that waking up is so wonderful, but for so many of us, waking up means that we must face who we have been, what we have done, and the pain we have caused to others in the world. When you can do this, and begin to do it without shame, the shift within will happen quicker than if you continue to judge yourself. This is critical for the process.

Remember that the decisions you made at any point in your life were made from a consciousness that no longer exists. As you emotionally and spiritually mature, your consciousness expands, and this expanded consciousness makes more powerful decisions. This will help you to find your own innocence, to forgive yourself, and to let go of the pain and judgment. PRACTICING RADICAL HONESTY GETS US IN TOUCH WITH THE FODDER NECESSARY TO FIND FREEDOM!

More to come!

*The Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes, is a text and a teaching that is 100 years old. Google for more information.