“The way you treat yourself sends a very clear message to others about how they should treat you.”
~ Denise Linn, author.
When I think of the people I admire (and there are quite a few!) (Can one really have “too many” s/heroes and wayshow-ers?!), the one quality that pops to the top of my list is how they are ‘walking their talk,’ not as it pertains to others, rather focusing that ‘talk’ and ‘walk’ toward themselves, first.
First.
I know, I know. I hear the grumblings and mutterings from here! But so-and-so says…..the bibles and holy books say ….. the neighbors ….. Ha!
Yet pause a moment (or ten) and really THINK about it. Folks use words like ‘Integrity.’ ‘Authenticity.’ Then there’s “Transparency’ … and OMG ‘organic.’ (What’s with that one, anyway? Turning a ‘movement’ into a qualifier of personal thought or behavior. You’re a frickin’ living being ~ of course you’re organic!)
I digress.
The litany of ‘how to treat others,’ what behaviors are correct and PC, who is to be judged, when is enough enough, where to exhibit certain behaviors ‘out there,’ is first to be performed ‘in here.’
Am I kind, honest, forthright, giving, authentic and living in integrity with mySelf? If yes, then rock on mama/papa! If not, then what I am giving others is tainted by lies and deception. Mask-wearing. People-pleasing. Negative ego-boosting.
I was raised in a society (and yes, the military is its own society) of either “do unto others before they do unto you” (charming!), what other people think about me is more important than what I think of myself (subterfuge), don’t make waves ~ coupled with – climb your way to the top. (Mixed messages there!)
It’s no wonder I grew up, and up, and up through decades of befuddlement, coupled with defiance, (with a smattering of Led Zeppelin’s dazed-and-confused opening lyrics echoing in my head. ‘For so long, for so long’.) Hopefully not any more.
The more I have traveled (metaphorically) into the multi-layered landscapes of interconnection with others, the more imperative it has become to be authentic, transparent, and live within my own integrity. My definitions. Not someone else’s.
I’m not saying anything new. Simply paraphrasing Shakespeare, Plato, Mandela, Jim Henson (and his Muppets), Angelou. Find your truth. Embrace Your truth. Live your truth. No apologies. No diminishment of self.
Now THAT’S organic!