Character Development: Honesty And Honesty Affirmations

In Episode 2 of our Character Strengths Affirmation Series, we dive into the transformative power of honesty. Together, we’ll explore what it means to be truly honest—not just with others, but with ourselves. This episode invites you to reflect on the role honesty plays in shaping our relationships, decisions, and sense of self. Through thought-provoking insights and affirmations, we’ll celebrate the courage it takes to embrace our authentic selves and live with integrity.

With love,
Hannah

Transcript

In a world that often focuses so much on what we lack,

It's easy to overlook the incredible internal strengths that each of us possess.

Grounded in ancient philosophy and modern science,

This series invites you to reconnect with the innate strengths that make you who you are,

Promoting balance and harmony in everyday life.

Whether you're looking to boost your confidence,

Overcome negative self-talk,

Deepen your relationships,

Or simply invite a greater sense of well-being,

My hope is that this series offers a practical and uplifting path to personal growth.

Alright,

Hello lovely people and welcome to our character strengths affirmation series.

Each session we explore one of the 24 character strengths identified by positive psychology,

All of which fall under the virtues of courage,

Humanity,

Wisdom,

Justice,

Temperance,

Or transcendence.

These strengths and virtues are universal and they form the foundation of our best selves.

If you haven't already,

I recommend that you go and check out the intro episode which will provide you with some background information on what to expect from the series.

The first virtue that we are covering is courage,

Which the Values in Action or VIA Institute defines as the internal force that drives action in the face of fear or opposition,

Allowing us to exercise our free will and face adversity.

The character strengths that make up courage are bravery,

Honesty,

Perseverance,

And zest.

Last week we covered bravery and this week we will be focusing on honesty and honesty affirmations.

Now when most people think about honesty,

They think about telling the truth or not lying.

And yeah,

Don't get me wrong,

That's that's a great start.

That's definitely honesty,

But in my experience,

Honesty is so much more than that.

Honesty reflects a commitment to not only being truthful but also sincere and embodying integrity in not only our words but also our thoughts and our actions.

It involves being genuine and authentic both with ourselves and with others and taking responsibility for our choices and our behaviors.

It's not just what we say or what we do,

It's also the intention and the approach that matters.

There are many different ways that we can be dishonest and they all generally stem from either an aversion or fear of what the truth might say about us or our perception of the impact that it will have on our relationships.

The process of being honest really starts with being honest with ourselves.

So often guilts and shame cast a shadow over our ability to see ourselves clearly.

We either avoid or even design narratives that we're more comfortable with to prevent our own self-judgment.

I don't know about y'all but that is certainly something that I personally have had to work through and you know what I think it's important to have some compassion for the part of ourselves that just wants us to maintain a feeling of safety.

However,

In my experience this often resulted in me experiencing a lot of cognitive dissonance and feeling out of touch with myself because there's this deeper wiser part of each of us that knows the truth.

We all know it you know it's that part of it's that inner witness that sees and observes and it's it's the final Russian doll inside of our minds that is just there and maybe it's underneath a lot of layers of stories that we tell about ourselves but there's this little golden ember of truth that sees through all the BS and and can hold it and when we connect to and hold space for the parts of ourselves that we've tried to cast into the darkness it can be really scary but what we find is a tremendous amount of liberation.

It can be helpful as always to utilize our support systems as we undergo that process.

Part of the reward is that the more honest we are with ourselves the more of ourselves we can share with those we're close to and being and feeling seen is really one of the most healing and transformative and wonderful experiences we can have as a human.

So there's the honesty that we have with ourselves and then there's the honesty that we have with other people which usually includes being open and direct in the way that we communicate.

So whether it be because of our desire for connection or our feelings of insecurity sometimes we aren't honest like really honest because we have an idea of how it might be received and we want to avoid that.

So maybe you're not lying but you're not really keeping it real to the fullest capacity but the truth the truth is that honesty is what allows us to foster trust and respect in our relationships.

This is a good time to remind us of the need for balance when it comes to character.

I had someone close to me say once that you have to find the balance between truth and tact in every relationship and in every situation.

I'm gonna say that again we have to find the balance between truth and tact in every relationship and in every situation.

How you say something can matter just as much as what you say.

We've all been there so be considerate of the perspective of the receiver.

It can be helpful when attempting to have a conversation to check in with someone prior to giving honest and direct feedback.

This can be as simple as asking are you in a place where you can receive honest and direct feedback or information or you might say when might be a good time to connect to talk.

Now definitely avoid we need to talk comments that it's good good luck with that good luck with that we need to talk never ends well.

Also just remember two things.

Number one people cannot read our minds.

Sometimes we just need to be courageous and be honest about what's coming up for us.

And two we can't read other people's minds either.

We can spend all day we can spend weeks or months or years ruminating on how someone might receive what we have to say or what's true for us and believe me I have.

I have I have done that for years but we don't know and at the end of the day what we do know is our own values and what our minds and what our hearts and what our spirit is telling us embodying those values looks like for us.

That being said it is essential to be honest with ourselves about who it is we might be choosing to share with and it's also above all really important to prioritize our safety.

I think that maybe that's one of the most challenging things about honesty is finding the balance between needing to live in truth with who we are and also meeting the culture and meeting our relationships where they're at and I think it maybe begs the question if you can't live in honesty with yourself in the presence of another maybe that relationship needs to be explored.

If you feel you might benefit I strongly encourage seeking the support of a professional provider who can guide you through this process.

With your best judgment I hope these affirmations empower you to embrace the truth of who you are and to have those meaningful conversations you may be avoiding with some compassion and with some clarity.

Before we begin we'll take a moment for a blessing to set our intention.

May we be blessed with the courage to be true to ourselves and to be true to others letting honesty guide our thoughts words and actions.

May we find the strength to embrace vulnerability knowing that living in truth brings us closer to our authentic selves.

May our sincerity foster deeper connections and inspire those around us to be in truth with themselves.

May our hearts be open our intentions pure and may we follow our wisdom and intuitive hearts toward a higher truth and all that we do.

I will read each statement twice pausing in between to give you a chance to repeat them out loud to yourself and I do recommend saying them out loud.

The statements that are easy to embrace savor them appreciate them stand like a mountain in their truth.

And then the statements that feel not so good that feel uncomfortable or foreign go ahead and say them anyway.

This is where we are doing the work rewiring those neural networks.

This is also where we gain insight into unhealed wounds limiting beliefs and ingrained biases and judgments toward ourselves or toward a particular way of being.

It's great material for journaling or discussing with a counselor or trusted friend maybe even someone doing the series with you.

Whether you're just waking up walking your dog on your commute or getting ready for bed I hope these affirmations serve your deepest greatest highest self.

And with that let's get started.

I am honest I am honest I embrace the truth in all aspects of my life I embrace the truth in all aspects of my life I speak with sincerity and integrity I speak with sincerity and integrity I am true to myself and my values I am true to myself and my values I am thoughtful when sharing how I feel I am thoughtful when sharing how I feel I am capable of having difficult conversations I am capable of having difficult conversations I take responsibility for my actions I take responsibility for my actions I take responsibility for my actions My words and actions are in alignment My words and actions are in alignment My words and actions are in alignment I am open and transparent I am open and transparent I am open and transparent I trust that living honestly brings me closer to my authentic self I trust that living honestly brings me closer to my authentic self I am proud of the trust I've built with others I am proud of the trust I've built with others I face challenges with honesty and courage I face challenges with honesty and courage I express my thoughts with kindness and respect I express my thoughts with kindness and respect I am at peace knowing that I live authentically I am at peace knowing that I live authentically I cultivate trust by being honest and reliable I cultivate trust by being honest and reliable I embrace vulnerability as a path to deeper connections I embrace vulnerability as a path to deeper connections I live in alignment with my highest values and highest truth I live in alignment with my highest values and highest truth I live in alignment with my highest values and highest truth As always,

Thank you so much for being here and for sharing in the intention to do this work on ourselves As always,

Thank you so much for being here and for sharing in the intention to do this work on ourselves So that we can be better for the people that we love and the people that we come into contact with And the people that we run into at the coffee shop So that we can be better for humanity as a whole And so that we can be better for the world at large May we be well so that we can do good May you go forth with peace and many,

Many,

Many blessings And I will see you next time