Of course my pension for people pleasing will not disappear overnight, nor will my desire to practice honesty on all levels appear magically. I found these quotes at the perfect time in this month of extending love to the fear of honesty. This first one seems to be a direct path to honesty with regard to people pleasing. Rather than people pleasing, heart pleasing is the way out of pain and fear. What can I do to let those around me sense their innocence, purity and beauty? Pleasing someone in order that they not be un-happy is not the same thing as seeing their true nature of happiness, innocence and beauty. When I let another know of his own innocence I am reminding myself of the same.
Another quote confirmed why extending love to my thoughts is so powerful and how a practice of honesty in all things is transformative:
I have noticed already, in a few days, I am more aware of honesty (or its’ absence). I didn’t realize how fearful I felt toward honesty. The big surprise is that my fear of honesty did not prevent honesty from operating anyway. (this is a huge relief to discover) Honesty is present whether I know it or not. Fear of honesty prevents me from receiving the gifts and joys of honesty even as it operates within me.
I am beginning to think of honesty as an alarm clock. It wakes me up to myself when I drift off into the sleep of fear, annoyance or down-sizing my self. This is what happens when I revert to people pleasing mode. I down-size my self because I think my real self will be found wanting in some way. This makes no sense of course which is why honesty is so helpful. If I pause to be honest with myself I am relieved of the need to down-size, thwart or otherwise see myself as less-than. Honesty reminds me I am enough.
