Let me preface this post by saying that I don’t think there is such as thing as an intentional hypocrite. I strongly doubt that people wake up, get their morning coffee, and add “commit hypocrisy” to their to-do list for the day, right below “take out the trash” and “clean the gutters.”

I believe most cases of hypocrisy stem from an error in judgment. A decision or action that was misguided or poorly executed, resulting in someone’s words contradicting their actions or their actions contradicting their words.

With that being said, I’m a hypocrite.

If you’ve followed this blog for even a few minutes, you can see that the theme of my posts is optimism. Regardless of what’s happening in my life, I try to put a positive spin on it – both in reality and on this blog. Sometimes, that “positive spin” takes some tweaking of the situation. The occasional omission of information. Or, worse, a bending of the truth.

I have a confession to make before I go on:

I’m human.

I’m a strong woman, but I can cry.

I try to be loving, but I can be cruel.

I’m an honest person, but I do lie.

I try to be genuine, but I’m  a hypocrite sometimes.

I’m very fortunate and blessed to be surrounded by an incredible group of people. Family and friends, instructors and classmates, leaders and coworkers; my social network contains some of the most intelligent, most kindhearted, and most ethical people in the world.

As a result of these close relationships, I’ve got people in my life that will call me out when they catch my mistakes; not to be cruel, but to keep me true to myself.

Sometimes, my need to be optimistic can be a fault. I inadvertently find myself hiding elements of the truth or, worse yet, bending the facts to shine a more positive light on the situation. I had always considered these to be minor, cosmetic white lies at most, but I see now that spinning the truth to create a positive outcome is no different than a blatant lie intended to hurt. The intentions may be different but the ethical implications are the same.

A close friend of mine recently shared a new definition of optimism with me that I’d like to adopt moving forward:

“Optimism is doing the work with passion and conviction. It’s not putting shine on a dull finish.”

I’d like to recommit to this blog, today and moving forward, to keep it honest and forthcoming, genuine and passionate. If a topic requires omission or bending of the truth to make it positive – I won’t bring it up.

I’m going to stop trying to make my life and my world conform to fit the beautiful picture in my mind. Rather, I’m going to be grateful for the imperfections of my life, as they are what help me see the silver-lining on the clouds.

Optimistic for a new beginning,

~ Victoria Elizabeth