Do you lie? Let's face it, we all do. You may not tell blatant lies, but we all make slight distortions of the truth, all-day and every day. For many, white lies are acceptable, but blatant lying- no way! Clearly there are some good reasons to hide the truth, but more often than not there are better reasons to be honest.
Being found out is an obvious downside downside to lying. But there are many other sensible reasons not to lie. For instance, you won't have to cover your tracks. Constantly covering your tracks saps your energy. Plus, once you get the reputation of being someone who tells the truth, people will listen to you because they know they can trust you. What's more, when you can admit you're wrong and own up to your mistakes it's hard for a person to criticize you. You gain a lot of respect for being honest.
No doubt there are people who rise up the ranks of success on the back of dishonesty. But more often than not they get found out. And the higher they ruse the harder they fall - usually bringing others down with them.
So why do we lie? Lying starts in childhood as a defense mechanism against figures of authority who are usually intimidating. Teacher ask : 'Did you do your homework?'. We answer: ' Uh, yes I did, but I left it at home'. Then to us as adults, police ask : 'Do you know how fast you were driving?'. We answer: ' I guess I was doing forty'. And when we're told we were driving over the limit, we profess: ' I didn't know I was going that fast'.
Often we lie becuase we're afaid of the consequences of telling the truth. or sometimes we're dishonest because we think the truth will hurt others. But how do you feel when you know you're not being told the truth? Most people yearn for straight talk. We all respect honest people. Telling the truth, tactfully, builds better relationships than lying, holding back or distorting the facts.
But that's not all there is to being honest. Do you tell other people what you think they want to hear or the truth? Honest feedback is a gift, if you have the right intentions. But be tactful. Telling it like it is can be counterproductive.
Often we lie becuase we're afaid of the consequences of telling the truth. or sometimes we're dishonest because we think the truth will hurt others. But how do you feel when you know you're not being told the truth? Most people yearn for straight talk. We all respect honest people. Telling the truth, tactfully, builds better relationships than lying, holding back or distorting the facts.
But that's not all there is to being honest. Do you tell other people what you think they want to hear or the truth? Honest feedback is a gift, if you have the right intentions. But be tactful. Telling it like it is can be counterproductive.
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