Brutal Honesty

Do you ALWAYS have to share your opinion? Remember, it is only your opinion- not fact. AND, conversely, if someone shares THEIRS, it is ONLY an opinion. Don’t give it more power than it deserves by getting sad or angry.

Do you have to be brutally honest? Why would you EVER have to hurtful to another person? Remember how your mother taught you: “If you can’t find something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. It was old fashioned ‘manners’, but it really works. Yes, you can be assertive and ask for what you want and need, but do it in a non-harming way!

If you can remember that everything anyone says is talking about themselves, and THEIR beliefs, it can prevent you from getting angry at them. It can help with your relationships, when you don’t take things personally.

Improve Relationships with Communication Skills

Lack of good communication skills is the thing that destroys relationships. Remember, people pick up on the REAL message not from your words, but from your body language and even the tone of your voice. So make sure you are being HONEST or the person you speak to won’t believe you or your message. And that will sabotage anything you’re trying to accomplish.

You always hear about using “I messages”. When you do that it not only helps the other person hear you without feelings blamed, but it also helps YOU to take responsibility for your OWN thoughts and feelings. It’s a win-win way of communicating that lowers stress all around. Practice it!