How Transparent Are You?

How transparent are you? Do others see the real you? Are your motives pure? Do you have a hidden agenda, another reason for doing what you do?

Being transparent means that you are up front and honest with others. You have a good heart and right intentions for others in what you say and do. You aren’t hiding anything. What you see is what you get.

The Object Lesson

Back in my day, transparencies were clear plastic sheets that you fed into a copier. Once the words were printed on the sheets, you laid them on a projector that then transferred the information up onto a wall or screen. These projectors had some pretty intense heat coming from them from the huge lightbulbs underneath. The fans used to cool the lights down were loud and very distracting. We’ve come a long way since those days. They have whiteboards now that can do it all.

I loved watching the teachers write all over them with their colored markers as they taught their lessons because what you see is what you get, mistakes and all. Their handwriting wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t always pretty. But it was real and it was transparent.

Today’s Problem

In this day and age, with technology, everything seems to be doctored up. You can’t trust what you see in social media, on television, or in the news. I get friend invitations all the time on Facebook from attractive men my age who just happen to be widowed. If I go to their page, there are only 2 posts. –Not very transparent. Not very trustworthy.

The other side of the coin, is someone who posts every thing they ever do and they tell you how they feel about every issue and share every thought, post or recipe they come across. There is no intention or purpose. They’re just bored.

Strike a Balance

There has to be some sort of balance to being transparent. Being transparent invites trust, honesty and credibility. Being transparent is also to be vulnerable and genuine. Too much sharing can have a negative effect.

In order to be effective, sharing and transparency needs to have purpose. Share with intention because not everything needs to be known. Think about what are you hoping to accomplish by sharing.

Tips for Transparency

1. It’s good to share with your family. These are the most important relationships you will have in your lifetime. Trust and honesty will strengthen your relationships.
2. Be upfront and honest about the good and the bad. Don’t sugar-coat it.
3. Be clear about expectations, but also be real. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
4. Communicate as often and consistently as needed.

Above all, be transparent by expressing yourself ithrough love and respect for yourself and others. People want to see and know the real you, mistakes and all. It’s how we all learn and grow.

If you enjoy this post, there’s about 80 more on my website. Drop me a line. I’m happy to share with all of you. As with all of the character traits I write about, if you want them to be part of who you are, you have to practice them for at least 21 days. Schedule them in your planner and calendar. Set some intention and go for it!

God bless. –Barb