Look at that precious face! When you look at an infants face you see purity. You see innocence and truth. Babies don’t have ulterior motives. There are no cries without true discomfort. There are no games or politics. When does that begin to change? When do we start telling half-truths and manipulating with our words and actions? Is it just survival for us, a compulsory protection of our hearts and desires that develops into narcissism? I don’t know the answers to these questions but I do know that children start learning manipulation and deception at a pretty young age.
What is “Face Value”? It’s simplicity. It’s when you actually DON’T have to look for the hidden agenda, motive, angle, slant, what’s NOT being said, or the truth. It’s staring you in the face! Face value is purely the truth!
I have gone through much of my life expecting that what others say is the truth. I’ve generally trusted that people are genuine and authentic. I’ve chosen to believe the words that have been spoken were without ulterior motives and that my relationships were real. But along my journey, I’ve become a bit jaded because at times I’ve seen that I was occasionally wrong to trust and allow myself to become vulnerable. Unfortunately, quite often people do have agendas and motives different from what they lead you to believe.
I have noticed that when this has happened, I usually had some kind of intuition warning me, prior to full discovery of the truth, which I chose to ignore. I’ve gotten much better at listening to that intuition, discerning sincerity and seeing beyond what is being said and done. Yes, I’ve been hurt and betrayed by a few but this doesn’t cause me to want to give up. It’s just made me trust my intuitions and instincts and be smarter, braver, and more determined to be different and thrive in spite of the pain and betrayal caused by those who never matured and moved past child like self-absorption.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be known for being smart, kind, authentic, honest and forthcoming? What if every time you spoke people knew, without any doubt, there was no hidden agenda? Think of the growth we could experience in relationships if people just instinctually spoke with kindness, honesty and without expectations attached. What if we all loved like babies do? The deeper connection and trust that would inevitably develop would be incredible! Being known for speaking the truth would be mind-blowing! Your true heart would be known and understood as you speak. Think of the healing you could facilitate. Ah, what power! Power solely for good!
I want others to feel like they can take my words at “Face Value”. This is something that I want to be more conscious of and work on. I’m going to check myself when I speak to determine if my words are sincere and constructive. If I am successful, I can inspire others to do the same.