Mahatma Gandhi 💎
Ever noticed how you feel around people who are truly themselves?
Who are the most genuine people you know and what do you value about them?
Being genuine is one of the most underrated qualities, even if it’s not always what you want to hear.
Here are a few things that come to mind when I think about why:
☀️When training on a telephone counselling helpline some years’ ago, I was surprised to learn that the therapist being genuine is one of the 3 core components of effective listening, building trust n connection – even if it’s saying, “I don’t know what to say” ❣️
💎 Some of the people I love most, in fact most of my best friends, are straight talkers who don’t mince their words to please me. I rate their character so I value their opinions when I ask for their thoughts n find it genuinely brings me the clarity n balance I seek over important life questions ⚡️
☘️ Being genuine is a superpower n the essence of coaching which helps people connect to their truest selves so they can fly. It’s so simple but powerful questions n listening curries clarity, confidence and motivation and from there aligned decision making is easy ✨
💎 Adversely, my pet hate is manipulation – the antithesis of genuinity. I’ve noticed those that fall into that camp are often quite unsure about who they are, what they want n lack the character I associate with genuine folk.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, two of my favourite literary quotes o all time have genuinity at their core:
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man”
~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet 🖊️
And a powerful punchline from The Crucible’s, John Proctor, shouting his refusal to sign a false confession of witchcraft, choosing instead to face the gallows with his integrity intact:
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” 🧙🏼
