10 People With Whom You Should Always Be Honest & Open

1. Your Savior. Being open and honest with Jesus Christ allows you to experience what it is like to have an actual relationship with Him. Real life relationships have peaks and valleys; so will your walk with God. Allowing yourself to be honest with Him about when you’re sad, mad, happy, hurt, etc. will strengthen your faith. It also shows Him you don’t expect or need your life to perfect; you just need His promises to bring you through. So often I feel Christians try to project a perfect existence to others. This is misleading and disheartening to non-believers. No one can lead a perfect life and no one is expected to do so. It’s time to be real.

2. Your significant other. What is the point in choosing to share a life with a person if you are not willing to have open communication? Dealing with feelings, good and bad is just part of it. Knowing a person fully means knowing the ugly and the pretty. I’m a firm believer that having things “out there” is healthier than sweeping them under the rug. No one is 100% happy all the time. No one. It’s sham to pretend you are. Say it, deal with it, and move on.

3. Your BFF. Having a BFF is great. It is definitely a necessity. Everyone needs at least one person who they can say anything to, trusting this person will be painstakingly honest in return. 

4. Your Mother. It took me a long time to realize my mom was on my side. To my surprise, everything she said and did was in my best interest – not a personal attack. Who knew?! I appreciate how great it is to be able to share anything with my mother. She raised us to be say how we feel. We could always express our happiness or dissatisfaction, as long as we did it in a respectful manner. 

5. Your Boss. You should strive to be honest with your boss. Being honest is the only way to earn respect, and everyone wants his or her boss’s respect. Admitting when you screw up or asking for help when you don’t understand is crucial. It’s easy to speak up when you do something great, but it takes integrity to talk about your shortcomings. 

6. Your trainer. Having a trainer or fitness instructor is one of life’s little blessings (shout out to Katy at Neighborhood Barre.) Lord knows I cannot do it on my own! A good trainer can take you from flab to fab in a short amount of time. However, to be effective he or she needs your help. “No, I didn’t eat a pint of ice cream last night.” “Yes, I worked out on my own while I was on vacation.” Those are lies not worth telling. Your trainer can, I repeat can,  get you where you want to be, but only if you’re honest. 

7. Your Doctor. I hear so many people talk about how they are too embarrassed to talk to their doctor about a problem they’re having. I always think, “uh, why?” If there is one person you want to be honest with IT IS YOUR DOCTOR! There is nothing you can say to a doctor about your physical or mental health that will freak him or her out. Medicine is a practice, and doctors are more effective when fully informed. 

8. Your Mentor. A mentor is someone you look to for guidance down your life’s path. Being open with him or her opens the door for tailored advice. Chances are he or she has been where you are. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some foresight?

9. Your Siblings. Your siblings can be your most trusted allies. It is a great feeling to know you have someone (in my case 5 someones) who knows your whole story. No one besides your siblings will know what it is like when you lose your mom, dad, or grandparents. Don’t take that relationship for granted.

10. Yourself. I truly, truly believe that before you can have an open and honest relationship with someone else you must have an open honest relationship with yourself. There is no sense in hiding from yourself. You need to find a way to explore the innermost workings of yourself. Whether it is journaling or talking to one of the above 9 people, you should get to know yourself because…you're pretty great.