How important is communication? One could argue communication is everything. It is how we represent ourselves through words, sounds, body language, vibrations, and even silence. When we are in alignment with our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires our ability to communicate them is seemingly effortless and more easily understood by others. We feel empowered and confident because the messages we wish to communicate are aligned with who we are and what we represent about ourselves. With this in mind, consider the following:

Most of us have probably heard the phrase, “Fake it until you make it.” I hear this phrase used often, for instance, in classrooms at schools, around the office at the water cooler, and from parents speaking to their children. While it is meant as a way to say, “It is okay if you do not know ‘x’ yet; you will eventually.” In reality, it really means, “It is okay to not be honest with yourself and others for this portion of your journey.” By using this simple “fake it until you make it” phrase, it immediately asks someone to be out of their own alignment. We are overtly and subliminally asking individuals to pretend to be something they are not on the way to accomplishing their goal and then to go back to being “them” once they have reached it.

Instead of communicating mixed messages, why not learn to appreciate who we already are and build on this from a place of integrity? We could:

Visualize ourselves completing the desired outcome and then advocate for support needed in order to understand how to accomplish.
Be honest and take responsibility for our current abilities/state and work to obtain new skills to address gaps/issues.
Ask better questions to deepen our understanding of what we are trying to learn/accomplish and why.

Proper engagement through leadership, education, and strategies can make all the difference. Learning how to align our communication skills is part of it…