“Frankness invites frankness.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Speaking with candor about your pain, fears, and hopes is the quickest way to invite intimacy into your life.

It is also fraught with the dangers of ridicule, rage, accusation, and avoidance.

What usually makes the difference is not the content of your revelations, but the tone of your talk.

I know you’ve been burned before, so please be careful. But don’t be afraid to be frank—just do it in a tone that invites the other person to be just as honest, and calm, as you. Here’s a prompt to get you started: “I may not say this perfectly, and I don’t need you to agree, but I would like to tell you…______________”

Peace begins with pause,