Lazy Inspiration

I am feeling a little lazy and uninspired when it comes to writing up a post today. I thought of several topics I could post on, but alas, I don't really feel prepared to do them the justice I feel they deserve. I think it is better to wait and have some pictures and things. Perhaps later in the week I will get to doing those posts: the garden, the finished (mostly) loft, and some bits on menswear.

For today, I want to share some inspiring ideas that I've collected recently:

"Aspire to embody honesty and humility without  guilt or shame"

I hold honesty in high regards. I've often said the truth is never wrong; it may be uncomfortable, even offensive, but if it is really the truth, it is not false or bad. Still, I all too frequently withhold the truth out of fear of some potential backlash. While I tend to think of myself as quite humble, more often than not the truth of my self image is based more on fear of rejection and shame - my humility isn't really genuine, because I am not feeling confident and valuable but not arrogant, I am simply diminishing myself and wallowing in self pity. Not so hot. Speaking of humility:

"Humility is not thinking of yourself as less than others; humility is thinking of yourself less"

So being humble doesn't mean that I have to feel bad about myself, carrying around guilt and shame and regret. That kind of poor self esteem actually makes things worse, as I might try desperately to demonstrate to everyone how I am so much less than they, how they needn't worry about me and my feelings. This is actually really dishonest behavior, coming from a self-serving motive. The 'truth' in those kinds of situations is that I feel bad about myself and look for others to prop me up.

A healthier perspective, I think, would be to have confidence and faith in myself and then, armed with a quiet and sure conviction of my qualities, act from a place of selflessness. With this true humility, it becomes easier to act with true honesty, because if you really are humble and you are aspiring to be fully honest, you don't need to fear the truth.

So let's all go forth and seek the truth without jealousy, shame, or hubris, and without apology...because the truth is never wrong!