Honestly is Honesty an excuse?

We’ve all been there, heard something we’ve gasped at, and the person saying said thing has replied with ”Just being honest!” But is there a fine line between Honesty and rudeness? Is Honesty just becoming an excuse to be rude?

Personal opinion: There’s a tactful way to handle everything.

For example if a friend of yours was starting to pong a bit, would you go ”Oi mate you stink!” Or ”Hey I bought this new shower gel/deodorant/whatnot the other day and I think you’d love the scent! You should try it.” ?I know which approach I’d rather take, the second one. No one gets their feelings hurt, and it’s a subtle enough hint.

Personally the whole ”just being honest thing” is getting on my nerves not only because it’s a phrase I hear way too often, but because it’s normally following on from a horrible comment. Now call me sensitive but seeing someone get upset because they’ve been told of course they’ll trip up on their new diet because they’re ‘fat’ or hearing people get into shouting matches because someone’s decided to pull the ”Just being honest” card when it’s really just a personal attack on someone starts to get boring after a while to everyone right?

Yes honesty is great, tell people what you think, but lets be tactful about it. Saying ”Just being honest” or ”it’s just my opinion” is not an excuse to launch into a personal attack on someone you don’t like.

Honestly, its just my opinion, that people who need to use honesty as an excuse to be rude really don’t know the meaning of honesty, nor do they wish to.

By Shanna McNeilage

Nature and landscape photos by Kelly Parsons.

Photographs by new addition to the team Kelly Parsons.

2015 New year, new you?

We might be a bit late here, but if you’re anything like us you’ve already broken your new you resolution.

Why do we do it to ourselves? Setting ourselves ‘goals’ we think we can achieve? In most cases it ends in disappointment. Want to get fit? spend loads of money of new workout gear, gym membership, shakes and various other concoctions, do this for the first two weeks and then regret spending all the money once work and life picks up again.

Instead of setting ourselves one big goal that’s going to have you thinking ”Why did I do this?!” after a while, why don’t we try and make them into something more manageable and spread them out throughout the year? For example: want to get healthy?Why not set a goal in January of trying to eat healthier(no need to beat yourself up over just one chocolate bar) and then in February combine the healthy eating with one days jogging and slowly increase it? And so on and so forth. You get the picture.

We’d all be a lot happier surely if we set ourselves goals that are easier to achieve?

My resolution for 2015 is to just try to be happier, not care what people say or do. Do what I want for me.  Get back into writing and give this blog a bit more life. I’ve got the time at the minute so why not make the most of it. But I’ll be doing all these things in little chunks month by month. because what’s the point in not trying to practise what you preach?

Have a wonderful 2015 readers!

 

By Shanna McNeilage