What do you think when someone begins telling you something with, “To be honest . . . ”? Do you ever wonder if they’re lying the rest of the time? I know it’s kind of a throwaway phrase, but it does raise the question.
Just how honest are you? Do you tell the truth all the time so you don’t have to warn who you’re talking to that you’re about to speak the truth?
Most likely you don’t steal and would never think of taking something that didn’t belong to you. But have you ever stolen time from your employer?
Would “Honest Abe” have been honest when his wife asked if her dress made her butt look big?
Diogenes was the guy who supposedly wandered around ancient Greece carrying a lantern in search of an honest man. Evidently he believed that no one was completely honest—even back then.
My mother was one of the most honest people I’ve ever known. Except for the fact that she thought it was OK to cheat at cards. Never could quite figure that out.
If we believe in the value and virtue of living a life of integrity, we have to look at every aspect of our life and confront with brutal honesty where we might NOT be in integrity.
Do you cheat on your taxes? Even a little? Do you always answer honestly when asked your opinion or for a rendition of what happened? Do you embellish your stories?
Does your walk always match your talk? When you say you will be somewhere by a certain time, do you show up on time?
Do you lie to yourself? Ever? Most people I know—myself included—sometimes simply fail to tell themselves the truth about certain things. They take a positive attitude too far and delude themselves. They don’t want to admit something isn’t working when it isn’t.
I urge you to take a serious inventory of what you do and how you do it. Review your day and note where you might have been out of integrity. Why did you lie? To avoid pain or increase pleasure? How did (are) you justifying your misrepresentation?
It takes courage to admit and confront our integrity. But for all the reasons in this article—and more—it’s worth it.
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
—Edward R. Murrow
Best Life Rule: Tell the truth ALL the time, and to EVERYone—especially yourself.
This article was originally published on SuccessNet.org in January of 2017.
