“One’s authentic self will always reveal itself,
despite the layers of masks he/she may wear.”
- Do your behaviors/actions align with your words? It is quite easy to use words to paint a picture to the world as to who you are (or in some cases who you want to be); but does your behavior support your verbal depiction?
- Do you say you are honest, but you do not honor your intuition by telling your truth, even if it may be uncomfortable for the recipient?
- Do you say you are responsible, although you do not take responsibility for your behavior and/or words?
- Do you say you are a person of integrity, yet gossip about others?
- Do you say you are ‘blessed and highly favored’ but live in constant fear and worry about things?
- Do you say you cherish your relationship/significant other, yet you are disrespectful, rude, inconsiderate, etc towards him/her?
- Do you say your friendships are important to you, but you neglect them (lack of cultivation)?
If the words and behaviors of someone are not aligned always default to their behavior; or in the words of Maya Angelou (with adaptation by Oprah), “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Many thanks to Misha of Love Grows: The Relationship Consultants
for sharing these (and many more) seeds of thought and wisdom!
for sharing these (and many more) seeds of thought and wisdom!
❦ ❦ ❦
CG Side Note: This entire post hit home with me for a number of reasons, but I highlighted the words above in particular because this has been my year to heed this lesson. Not only do people show, if you listen closely they often tell you before you even get to a point of having to decide whether it's worth the effort. It's up to you to actually listen and proceed with caution or learn the lesson the hard way, but always try to ensure YOU words and deeds are authentic.
I completely agree. People WILL tell you exactly how they feel about you. It would be hard for a person to tell a lie constantly and consistently - especially in matters of the heart. I've been there - making decisions about my future involving "him" when he was TELLING me not to worry about him. I see it happening all the time.
ReplyDelete&& Even though I'm beefing with Tyler Perry at the moment - there's this poignant moment in one of his plays where he talks about once we finally get to the point where we love ourselves ENOUGH, we will let other people know when they are hurting us. Not only, that we will move them out of our lives if they continue to do so… Sometimes we need to love ourselves and trust in God… :) Nice post!!
I am a firm believer that when people show you who they are...believe em. I am also a firm believer of actions speak louder than words.
ReplyDeleteLike Stefanie, I believe action speaks louder than words. I love to listen and observe people. Sometimes you not only have to listen to what a person says but more importantly what they DON'T say. I have someone in my family who is always barking about LOYALTY but she is the most disloyal person I know. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteNice post CG!
CG! Once again we are in the same mental space ;)
ReplyDeleteThis post speaks for itself.
& this right here ”Do you say you are honest, but you do not honor your intuition by telling your truth, even if it may be uncomfortable for the recipient?” it is a constant teaching moment for me.
Felt powerfully, great share!
The bolded quote is the serious truth. It amazes me how many people (and I was guilty of it before) don't pay attention to the signs when we see them.
ReplyDeleteOdd as this may sound, I really like the picture too.
Wonderful read!
ReplyDeleteQuestions we all need to sit down and ask ourselves from time to time.
"Do you say your friendships are important to you, but you neglect them (lack of cultivation)?"
ReplyDeleteYep, this is me. I have neglected so many relationships that I can't even count them. But I'm starting to pay for it because as I get older I realize how far and few real friends are.
I try to be very honest with myself. Good or bad. Happily as I read your list I was able to say that I live well according to my own by-laws. and I'm good with that.
ReplyDeleteDoes my own self-governing need to add and ammend some bylaws? Probably. But of what I believe to be write and wrong I abide by. And Im good with that. :)
Thanks for making us think...
ReplyDeleteGreat post CG!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely codes to live by.
When ask these questions and take the time to answer them for yourself, you are indeed 1 step closer to your true self. Great post Sista!
ReplyDeleteWisdom is what helps us as we learn more about who we are. We are constantly growing if we seek the truth, even if it hurts. No pain, no gain!
ReplyDeleteTruth seekers are more sexy!
Anna Renee
What an awesome post CG! It made me pause and do a self check. Good read. :)
ReplyDelete@Daisy - "get to the point where we love ourselves enough" let the church say Amen! How longer and when it happens is different for everyone but the day it does happen is something to be celebrated :-)
ReplyDelete@Stef & Jetaime - yes, these are definitely vital considerations and observations to make. I think some people think they live according to the words that the profess mirror their behavior, only to realize that other people may experience something totally different.
@B - I tell ya, intuition has been on my side from day one. When I listen to it, it's "oh happy day" but I've failed on many occasions to heed the warnings. I have a love/ignore/kick in the butt with reality relationship with it :-)
@J.A.H. - I think we seek genuine relationships and try to approach every new experience with a clean slate, but there are times when the blinders are simply a lesson in the making. Glad you liked the pic :-).
@nikksd - I totally agree. When I read this on Love Grows' Facebook page I immediately wanted to share it with the fam :-)
@Val ~ It's never too late to restore true friendships. I think at some point we all tend to focus on other things that seem more important at the time, but when it comes down to it those who are truly meant to be there for a lifetime do not fade away.
@DianaBoss - Most certainly. Having a foundation is very important if not the most vital piece of this whole thing. I'm glad you could relate to these :-)
@Ava ~ Thanks so much for your support! I've been a fan of your blog for quite a while :-).
@J ~ Hey bro! Glad you enjoyed it.
@Miz & My True Essence ~ I seem to be in the 'discovering the real MCG' quite a bit these days. It's kinda fun, scary and insightful all at the same time.
@Anna Renee ~ Loved your comment! I'm right there with ya on that :-).
Ironic (or maybe just fitting) that you would post this on Halloween, & speak of the various masks that people wear. The older we get the more we tend to strive to be our most authentic selves, weirdness, warts, flaws, farts & all. The thing is, without a mask, or a particular suit of behavior, just stripped down & keeping it real-naked, some folks can scare the ISH outta you. Seriously. In other words, sometimes when people reveal who they truly are, it can be vurrrrrry scurry!
ReplyDeleteSJ!
One.
Hey Lin! I didn't even think about the timing of the post, but you've hit the nail on the head. I often say that I'm "every woman" so that means you might get sweet, quiet Mel or you could be in the midst of her outrageously angry side that spits fire. I try to make these quirks clear up front (lol), but now I wonder if that's authentic on my part...*sigh*
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful things to think about daily!
ReplyDelete