Know Your Ride – Especially the Inside

Love is in the air on campuses all across the country…love that is for vehicles! Yes, cars, vans, and trucks alike are always being washed and shined to look their very best! After all, what would it look like for you to be looking good and your ride be jacked up?

Is your car just like dating? Yeah, you look good on the outside when you go cruising around to catch someone’s eye, but how does your vehicle look on the inside? Imagine you are like a car or truck or van. What’s it like for someone who gets close to you? Do you act the same way publicly as you do privately? Is your check engine light on because of a bad break up and you’re still carrying old, smelly trash around with you from the past? Are you like one of those commercials where the person doesn’t admit that they’ve been drinking but their car is up to the windows in alcohol?

Well, the truth about being with you is going to come out whether you try to hide it or gradually reveal it or just shout it out. There is a model of human interaction called the Johari Window. It breaks down information about people into four-quadrants. In one quadrant there are things you know about yourself that others know as well. In another there are things you know about yourself that others don’t know. In another there are things others know about you that you don’t know about yourself and in the last there are things you don’t know about yourself that others don’t know yet either.

When it comes to getting close to another person, it’s like putting them in your car and turning on the radio to your favorite station. You share what you want them to believe in the stories you tell and the songs you sing. Sometimes while you’re sharing time and space, your true self begin to ooze out at the seams and you don’t even know it. They can see through your window and what they see is true. In order to really be in touch with yourself as you reveal yourself to someone else, layer by layer, do what you can to tell the story from your heart. It’s okay to have had some hardships among the good times. Sure there will be some scars. Be willing to be authentic and honest with this new person so that they won’t leave your conversation thinking, “Yeah, that big ugly bruise is just a beauty mark. Yeah, right!”

Creating great relationships takes careful attention to detail and a good dose of honesty. After all, a little spring cleaning every now and then never hurt anybody. It’s good to clear the air and blow away the dust and difficulty of the past and enjoy what’s happening now. The world is waiting to see the next new model of you.

About Dr. Torri "Love" Griffin (23 Posts)

Dr. Torri “Love” Griffin, LPC is the creator of the LiSENSE 2 DATE™ Relationship Training Program which teaches singles of all ages to “use common SENSE to remove NONSENSE so their relationships make SENSE.”