When I was a little girl, my grandfather shot a video of me. Years later, as I watched it on an old-fashioned projector screen, I observed myself as a buoyant four-year old with strawberry blond curls twirling around the room. At one point, this little ball of energy stopped, looked directly into the camera, and beamed a mega smile of pure honesty, truth and delight. Wow, she was fearless … and so alive and vibrant that one could almost see electrons twinkling in her aura!
To this day, the integrity of the child in the video disarms and challenges me to be honest with myself and true to my word. Does this concept seem odd to you? Can you remember a time when you could be so unabashedly honest and open with yourself and the world? Was it when you were a child? Or was it today … perhaps yesterday? Do you ever wonder how it would feel to be that honest and true again?
After thinking about the video awhile, it occurred to me that I needed to ask myself a one big question: “Do I truly value myself and honor my word?” Happily, and with a big sigh of relief, I decided that yes, finally, I do indeed value myself and my word … in fact, next to my beloved Cape Breton accent; my word is my most valuable treasure on Earth.
I’d like to share with you five things that I’ve learned, complete with bumps and scrapes, on the journey of valuing myself and keeping my word golden:
1. When I value myself, I also value what comes out of my mouth.
2. When I keep my word, it feels good, balanced, and strong. I feel unafraid, and most of all, connected to the real me … you know, the one that dances freely like a four-year old; the one without a mask.
3. When I honor my truth, other people, either consciously or unconsciously, start to mimic the same behavior; and when we both honor our truth, our interactions become more genuine and meaningful. Let’s face it, there is little in life more satisfying than an open and honest conversation … top that off with a nice cup of tea and homemade butterscotch pie and we are good to go!
4. At first it took courage (and often a deep breath!) to speak my truth. Then, little by little, honoring and valuing my word became second nature, like a reflex. And best of all, after a while, it became 100% innate.
5. Sometimes in life, it can be much easier to muffle or devalue your truth by saying what you feel others want you to say. When this happened to me, I simply asked: “If I am not speaking my truth, then what am I speaking?” This question was often all I needed to wake-up, step-up to the plate, and get back on track again! Value yourself. Value your truth. Keep Your Word Golden.