The great Elvis Presley once said, “The truth is like the sun, you can shut it out but it ain’t goin’ away”. So why do people hide from the truth? Well, sometimes the truth can be inconvenient, sometimes uncomfortable. Sometimes we don’t tell the truth because it can be upsetting and sometimes deeply painful. How often do you hide from your own truth and how do you feel when you do so? I have come to learn in both my professional and personal life that, when it comes from a place of sincerity, telling the truth when it needs to be told is one of the most helpful things I can ever do for someone. Equally, there is a huge power in giving an honest answer to a straight question.
On the 7th of November 2007 my mother was rushed to hospital. I was advised to call my family together as soon as possible as the Doctors advised she wouldn’t make it through the night. When I arrived to see her I could see she was frightened. The first thing I told her was that my sister was flying over from South Africa to be with her and we would all soon be together. When she heard this I could see her rally and in that moment she looked up at me and said, “Kevin, I’m scared. I’m dying’.
I couldn’t lie and say everything would be OK! So we talked about it. She talked about her fears, I talked about mine. I started to ask her questions and her answers led me to places I never expected to go as a son. I learned the skill and value of never backing away from probing and questioning until we uncovered the real truth. As the weeks moved on our ability to access the truth became something that created a quiet joy between us. Three months later, as I sat with her hand in mine, she slipped quietly away. She was ready, I was ready all because we helped each other to face the truth.
So be authentic, be real. Ask difficult questions and have the courage to give honest answers. Put your arms around the truth and feel it’s warm embrace. It will strengthen you, it will guide you and it will always take you to a better place.