You’ve got them – secret thoughts, ideas, behaviors that you keep to yourself and don’t want anyone to know about. I’m talking about:
- judgments that we would never share with that other person
- beliefs that we are afraid to speak aloud
- habits we’d be embarrassed to have another person witness
You get the idea. Here’s the truth. Everything we are trying to hide, all of our secrets, the messages in our shadow side, have tremendous power. This power may be:
- preventing us from deep connection
- holding us in shame
- revealing a life vision, dream or purpose that we are afraid to claim
Today, take some time to check in with your shadow side and acknowledge the secrets you keep. Then ask yourself the needed question(s):
What deeper truth would allow me to drop the judgment?
What would I gain by sharing this safely?
What freedom would I experience by releasing the behavior and my hidden shame?
One more thing about secrets. If you are fortunate enough to have a coaching relationship in your life, you know that this is one place where full disclosure is “safe” and free of judgment. Sometimes just “saying it out loud” is enough to release the stranglehold. Some relationships are not wide enough or deep enough or safe enough to hold the space for full disclosure in confidence. It is crucial to know which ones can and which cannot receive your deep truth. It is also crucial to have at least one “full disclosure relationship“.
What is your full disclosure relationship?
What secrets are you ready to share here?
(*) For more on secrets and secret sharing, check out by book, What’s Alive In Me Now? Time for the journey of your life!