Some people are open books and will share everything on their hearts and minds. While others live as a vault and keep things locked tightly away, sometimes even from themselves. Balance is needed in learning how to open while still keeping our story sacred.
Certainly, it’s good to open up and share our lives with each other. But this doesn’t mean we must share everything with everybody.
In fact, some people are not safe and will treat our story too casually or use what we share against us.
We might also create a false sense of connection in our relationships when we share too much. What appears as wholehearted sharing becomes a one sided emotional dump and the other starts to pull away.
Ideally, as we share, we’re drawn deeper into a loving connection with each other.
At the other end of the continuum are those who are reluctant to share anything about their lives. While we must guard against those who will misuse or abuse what we share, if we completely close ourselves off we miss the deep connections we were created for.
We might show others what we think they want to see in us, but we keep our true self hidden. And, unfortunately, we get so good at hiding that we eventually forget ourselves in the process as well.
In the end, we become suspect of anyone who wants to know the deep movements of our heart. And keeping them at a distance we remain lonely even when surrounded by others.
It takes much wisdom to know who to open up to and when – and much courage to share with those that have the right or the privilege to know our full story.
Learn when to keep your mouth shut and when to boldly share your whole heart.
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
