Authentic Communication: Building Bridges Instead of Walls

When it comes to communication, I am not one of those who is so sure of themselves, so certain of having answers, of declaring their beliefs out loud, of creating a stir and loving it.

Certainly in my twenties I thought I had a lot of things figured out ~ believed I had a good amount of wisdom. But even then I was on the conservative side of sharing my opinions. And now, years later, if there’s anything life has shown me, it’s that uncertainty is the certain thing, and there’s always something new challenging my current understanding of life.

I have spent an extensive amount of time, perhaps more than most, thinking about communication and what it truly means to express yourself. What is healthy self-expression? What is healthy communication? What do I want to say in the world? What legacy would I love to leave? Where do I find fulfillment? How am I doing with my creative expression? What lights me up? How do I create more light for myself and others?

What I can say with relative certainty is that these are not destination questions. They’re ongoing. They’re different every day. They can be with us until our final breath. They are really at the core of everything we do in life. And asking them is the enriching part. Engaging with them. Living them in as vital a way as we can.

I was listening to an interview with Marianne Williamson recently, and I love how she summed up pretty much everything I would want to say about communication.

“The word communicate has the word ‘commune’ inside it. The way we communicate matters. We have the right to feel our feelings, but we never have the right to attack another human being. Build bridges with your communication instead of walls.”

And that, my loves, pretty much says it all. Let us go forth and build bridges.

With Love & Om On,

Kimberly