Daily Dose of Integrity

You cannot have confidence or a good life without choosing to get emotionally uncomfortable.

Building courage is simply about finding something uncomfortable to do that is also good for you, something like shameless radical honesty.

Shame is the belief that there’s something wrong with you, that you’re fundamentally broken in some way. Radical honesty is usually how we describe being open about those things you wish to hide—those things you feel ashamed of.

The more you share your shame, the more it dissipates.

If you can be honest about who you are at all times, no matter how ashamed you may feel of those truths, eventually, you’ll no longer be ashamed of them.

Another definition of confidence is being shameless.

Confident people say whatever they believe to be true.

They never try to deceive or manipulate others to get what they want because they don’t have shame—or at least, the shame doesn’t hold them back.

People are only dishonest for one reason: they’re scared of the consequences of being honest.

Confident people are courageous. They accept those outcomes.

Dishonesty is not only an act of cowardice, but it also perpetuates the shame cycle.

Every time you hide something true about yourself, you validate its wrongness, making it feel even more wrong. Every secret you keep, every emotion you refuse to share, every opinion you suppress—it all shames you.

People-pleasers, liars, and manipulators ultimately destroy their sense of self and their confidence.

Being deceptive is not a good long-term plan. You’ll lose track of who you are, create superficial relationships with people who don’t trust you, and in the end, you just won’t like yourself.

So, to get practical: Stop before you speak.

Think about what you’re about to say as often as possible throughout the day, and ask yourself: Is this the most truthful I can be?

To dive deeper into this topic, check out the original video here: