Truth - Your Way to Success!

Sometimes when I use the word Truth I can see peoplenfidgeting or looking a little uncomfortable. They seem tonthink that it means that they will be caught at something,nsomething difficult will happen, that whatever joy they havencarved out will somehow be damaged, that their business ornpersonal dealings will not survive the scrutiny of thentruth. Frankly to many it seems too virtuous or not viablenin today's complex society. But what if the Truth was thenfirst attribute that could not only support your success andnhappiness but allow it to expand? It sounds moreninteresting from that perspective.

A Solid Foundatio

Truth really is the basic building block of all of ournrelationships and all that we do in life. All of ournbusiness endeavors are based on building positive andnmutually satisfying and lucrative relationships. If we donnot "tell" the truth, expect the truth from others and nvalue the truth then we are constantly unsettled, waitingnfor the other shoe to drop. We have no real trust in ournrelationships and in the reality we are creating.

It has been interesting lately for me to recognize whatnencountering a lack of truth in two important relationshipsnhas cost me both in my personal and professional life. Inhave also seen this in the lives of clients and those aroundnme. I have experienced first hand the discouragement thatncomes with being lied to and the ways in which it cannundermine one's sense of a benevolent and supportive life.
What is lost in many of our personal and professionalnexperiences that are not based on Truth? What is lost is ansolid foundation on which we can build and that can supportnanything real or good happening. Unless truth is presentnrelationships and endeavors quickly become a house of cardsn- one that can easily be destroyed. And surely we want allnof our efforts, all of our plans and visions to be supportednby a stable and strong foundation.

Personal Relationship

Of course there are different levels of the truth, if younwill. For instance, when we tell a "white lie" to shieldnsomeone else's feelings or to protect ourselves we feel thatnis allowable and even normal. But what happens if thosencustomary lapses in the truth begin to support the ease withnwhich we allow larger transgressions to go unnoticed? Let'snlook for a moment at the simple ways in which many couplesnbegin to allow falsehoods to be a part of thei
relationships. Small lies creep in. Perhaps we begin tondiscover that we are hiding more from our spouse or partne
than we are revealing.

What gets damaged in that process? The wonderful first flushnof attraction and interest in each other diminishes. Ournrelationships don't mature and grow. There is the beginningnof a wedge that only grows larger as the years go by. Asnthis goes on our trust in the relationship is eroded. Wenlose a chance at real intimacy and the opportunity to benaccepted just as we are - something for which each of usnyea
s. A small act of omission can lead to a hugendetrimental outcome. Everyone loses in that equation. Whennthis is repeated in various relationships our ability tonform healthy and alive relationships is deeply damaged.

Our Larger Interests

Let's jump to a larger playing field. What occurs when annentire population is lied to consistently and egregiously?
We find ourselves in wars that we don't agree with. Quicklynwe are in escalating conflicts and the need to support thenhouse of cards with more lies leads to deeper and more farnreaching damaging acts. In big business, for instance, withnthe Enrons of the world, a whole population of workers losesntheir life savings. We can only imagine the suffering andndespair caused by both of these scenarios. Once again, withnrepeated lack of truth, we grow a population that becomesndisaffected, cynical and not willing to believe in anything,na population that has no belief in leadership. A populationnthat loses the ability to create positive meaning from thei
existence is a dangerous breeding ground for all thatnplagues humanity.

Truth as Being!

Truth I think is really a verb. It requires our involvement:ntelling the truth, standing for the truth, supporting thentruth etc. But beyond that it is an attribute, a quality ofnour very selves that when transgressed leads to loss ofncontact with our own inner navigation system, our ownnsextant, our valuable internal intelligence. The degree tonwhich we are not told the truth is often the degree to whichnwe cannot recognize it. This separation from the sense ofntruth in our own selves hobbles us from seeing our wayntowards our best and therefore most successful selves. Wenmay not have been told the truth about our real abilitiesnand talents. Either these were not recognized and supportednor we were told things like we were slow, had no talent, ornour ability at an art would not get us anywhere in life. Ournability to discover what is most natural and precious to usnmay have been distorted and when this is continued we losenthe capacity to see it for ourselves.

So often when I work with clients, as a coach, I find thatnthey do not know what it is that they realty want in thei
lives, what they are capable of or even what will satisfynthem. They feel somewhat unmoored and live life from day tonday more than slightly unsatisfied or trying to satisfy whatnthey imagine others want. They can't disce
the nextnimportant step. They have lost their ability to recognizenthe truth for themselves. I believe this comes from a steadynand gradual build up of assaults to one's sense of truth andnharmony, repeated breaches of trust, and eventually a lossnof ability to trust.

Regaining Contact

How can we regain our contact to this precious and essentialnattribute? I think you can begin to notice in small waysnwhen you chose not to tell the truth. Notice what is fearfulnto you about it. What do you think you will lose? Is thenimmediate perceived gain worth the damaging of you
relationships or your deeper more precious contact with you
spiritual self?

Without judgment notice what it feels like in your body whennyou are separated from the truth. Notice what it feels likenwhen you realize you have been dealt with outside of thentruth. Not being able to trust in our relationships and lifenis very scary for human beings.

Notice when you are still relying on old messages aboutnyourself that may not be the truth. If there has been a deepnbreach of trust in your life rediscover what you love aboutnyourself and about life. See if you can start to mend thendisrupted connection to something deeper in you. You cannexperiment with how to do that. For some, time to themselvesnto read something inspiring is a support. For others time innnature. Spend time with friends who you innately trust. Thenroad to the Truth is really the wonderful journey back tonyour true self.

Ancient Wisdom

Native American culture has 4 steps that support thisnnecessary process:

Show up - be present to the situatio

Pay attention- notice what is really going o

Tell the Truth - have to courage to stand for the truth
Be unattached to the outcome.

It may look like a tall order but when you do this thenresult is regeneration and renewal.
Believe me the Truth will never fail you! It is your mostnpractical ally…

"Feel the truth of what you are and at the same moment act.
Risk yourself for what you know is right and true."

Fredrick Douglas, escaped slave from an Independence Daynspeechn