While Valentine’s Day tends to inspire the bulk of the hype in February, several other holidays hold immense historical significance. One of those days falls on Feb. 12, marking the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. While Lincoln is remembered for a great number of his efforts as leader of our country, one of his characteristics that stood out most was his honesty, ultimately earning him the eternal nickname “Honest Abe.” To commemorate Honest Abe’s birthday and legacy, our team here at Atlanta Divorce Law Group wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the importance of honesty in relationships.
In any kind of relationship, whether it’s with friends, family members, or a spouse, the vast majority of people know that mutual honesty is necessary in order to preserve each party’s trust and the relationship’s longevity. But in people’s haste to point fingers at their partner’s mistakes, they often overlook the significance of being honest with themselves. People are fine alluding to another’s shortcomings, but when it comes to admitting their own hard truths, they often find a way to wholly ignore them or sugarcoat them into a trait that is easier to stomach. For some reason, inner honesty and self-reflection seem to be two of the most difficult concepts plaguing modern relationships.
There is one reason that so many people find themselves either feeling miserable in a marriage or eventually seeking a divorce. They engaged in a relationship they shouldn’t have been in because they weren’t honest with themselves about who they were and what they wanted or needed from a partner. Don’t run away from the truths that lie within. Peer inward and decide which parts of yourself you like and need to embrace and which parts you might want to work on and improve. Once you know who you are and what you are looking for in a relationship, you’ll avoid treating your marriage like a mere facade of happiness. You’ll prevent your marriage from becoming resentful or destructive, because you’ll cease putting the responsibility of your shortcomings on another person. No one else can achieve happiness for you; you have to find that for yourself, and it all starts by being honest.
