“Are you enjoying the move and living in Arizona?” I asked my daughter.

“No,” she responded.

“Really? Nothing at all?” I replied.

“I guess I like my school and our house,” she said, pensive. But I liked my old school better and our old house more.”

If you want honesty, just ask a kid.

Wouldn’t it be great if we adults could answer questions the same way kids do?

Ask a question, and get an honest, uninhibited answer.

Nothing else.
No fluff.
No agenda.

Just unabashed truth and you know exactly where you stand.

As I’ve gotten older, I notice this more.

I’ve definitely gotten to a place where “Just get to it!” is my chosen method of communication.

But, still, in some circumstances, I find myself saying what I think the other person wants to hear.

I couch my words, soften the blow, dance around it.

Kids (at least young kids) just don’t do that.

Imagine if all of us adopted that same approach, how much better our relationships would be, how much better we would feel.

Consider how much more we’d get accomplished, how much less wasted time and crossed signals we’d see in the world.

Collectively, we’d all operate at a deeper, more authentic level.

“Time will make things better,” I said to my daughter, hugging her. “And you will continue to make more friends. School will get more fun. I promise you will be happier again soon.”

She nodded her head, and would go on to do all of that very quickly.

I didn’t say that only to please my daughter or try to smooth things over.

I knew it to be true. And if you speak from the heart, others will know you’re being genuine, too.

Don’t be afraid of the result – just get to it.

-J.D.