Does The Outside Match The Inside?

On October 25, 1999, the sports world endured a tragedy. Payne Stewart, well-known professional golfer, was killed in a plane crash.

The investigation showed that all six aboard the Learjet died as the plane lost cabin pressure, failing to force oxygen into the passengers’ lungs at high altitudes. The plane’s autopilot kept it in the air until the fuel ran out, sending it into the ground at more than 100 times the force of gravity.

From the outside, it looked like a regular flight. The inside told a different story.
It is a tragedy much like those who portray an image of the “good life”, lacking real life on the inside. Everything looks fine from the outside, but something is terribly wrong on the inside. It’s just a matter of time until the crash.

You might be in that dangerous zone when you are the only one who knows your inside doesn’t match your outside. It’s at this point of incongruence you need to ask yourself three direct questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What do I believe?
3. How genuine are my relationships?

Congruency is critical for people to be themselves regardless of the situation. For this reason, self-awareness is essential. Self-awareness makes it easier for you to view your choices through a lens that brings your values into focus. You can begin to evaluate how well your actions align with your beliefs, values, strengths and weaknesses.

The journey toward congruency is two-fold: first, discovering our personal values and beliefs; and, second, exhibiting behavior that is consistent with those same values and beliefs in all your relationships. How will you develop a strong connection between your values and your behavior? With whom will you create strong genuine relationships?