Worrying About How We’re Perceived

When we don’t perform as well as we’d hoped, it can be embarrassing. It’s natural to want to be considered intelligent, funny, charismatic or athletic, etc… It’s common to feel embarrassed when (we think) we aren’t perceived the way we...

Tell the Truth

Whatever we can’t tell the truth about doesn’t serve our overall well-being. The fact that we feel the need to lie or mislead means that we’re pretending to be something we’re not in order to manipulate others. But, the short term benefits are...

Honesty Pays

Living in alignment with our beliefs and values helps us avoid inner conflict and lightens our energy. People are attracted to honesty because they know they can trust that ‘what they see is what they get’. When we speak authentically rather than saying...

Forging Identities

Working hard to create a consistent perception of who we are for others gets in the way of being authentic. If we direct our energy to garnering external gratification, we may be trading temporary benefits for long-term satisfaction. Creating a pleasing personality...

Apples and Oranges

There’s no need to create suffering by engaging in counter-productive habits like comparing ourselves with others. Comparison rarely accounts for all the relevant variables. That means we’re comparing things that are different, like apples and oranges. If...

Motivation Indication

We can assess our level of authenticity by looking at our motivation for taking action. Are we acting from a genuine internal desire or are we trying to gain the attention and approval of others? Naturally, making a good impression on others can have a real impact on...