We often think that a sincere person is someone who says whatever comes to mind… “I say things as they are…” or “There is no falsehood with me, I say everything I think!”…

But is this sincerity?

Interestingly, one of the possible origins of the word comes from the Roman Empire, where marble workers hid the imperfections of a statue with wax... so an original statue was “sine” “cera”: without wax... that is, sincere.

In the same way, we must live in an original, transparent way, without falsehoods or disguises.

But how can we be honest with others?

Being truthful, not just saying what comes to mind, but sharing the truth with genuine concern for the well-being of others.

Sometimes the choice we have to make is simple: comfort or sincerity. And sincerity is not at all comfortable, at least at first. But what creates stronger, more lasting relationships? The comfort of only saying and hearing what we want, or the challenge of growing and learning?

We can learn to be honest with children, who do not overcomplicate things, and are pure in their approach and relationships with others. Of course, we should not be naive either, but kind in our approach.

Especially in difficult things, what we say matters, but above all as we say it. How difficult it is to hear criticism in front of other people… how do we feel?

Do we think carefully before having an important conversation with a friend, a colleague or a child? How can we genuinely think about the other person’s well-being and not just about what suits or irritates us?

Help by example criticize in private and praise in public. What we do is unfortunately criticize others in public (has this ever happened to you? It's so nice, isn't it?). Or on the contrary, we praise in private, when we could recognize something good for others to see too.

And here it matters precisely the way we do it. People are not stupid and they can tell in an instant if they are being manipulated or if we are being honest…

Just as we need to practice being honest with others, we also need to learn to be honest with ourselves. Recognize how we are and how we can improve. Learn to appreciate our talents and abilities while recognizing our vices and weaknesses. Only then can we improve, if we are honest.

Sincerity seems to be a gift that we lose as the years go by… but fortunately it is a gift that can be trained and improved every day, for the good of others and for our own good.

How can we bring more sincerity into our lives?