How Honest is too Honest?

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There comes a point in every writer’s life where they have to ask themselves, “how much should I say?” As a blogger do you talk about things that can come back and haunt you? What if it’s something that would upset someone you love, your child, your partner? What if it would cause you to lose business or your income? Which also would obviously also affect your family.

It’s one thing to be a successful entrepreneur with  millions in the bank and a Rolodex (or iPhone) full of contacts for when you’ve spunked all the money and need help; and it’s quite another thing to be A.N.Other, Fred Bloggs. Average Joe and struggling to get by at the best of times.

For someone like that, like me, just the proverbial man in the Clapham Omnibus, how can I be open and honest and yet risk losing business that I desperately need? How do I talk about personal things without potentially upsetting or alienating the people I love most?

I suspect that some who can talk so openly are actually less open and more potentially sociopathic. The brutal honesty being their “thing” and the fallout not something they particularly care about – or worse something they desire.

I also worry about certain parties who may take offence, and then take revenge. I don’t worry out of paranoia, but out of experience. Of having my life and the life of people I love being destroyed out of their hatred.

There are things I want to talk about, but I worry about the fallout. I’ll be as honest as I can be, but I’ll protect those I need to.

I promise to do my best, I’m sure I’ll fail time and again, just as I have in life. But I promise I’ll do my best.