3 reasons why honesty is not the best policy
Makes Life Easier. Not only is it extremely stressful to keep being dishonest with yourself and others, but it represents everything on your character and values. HIV infection is, therefore, a necessary cause of AIDS. I will never be silenced. When you honestly speak from this place, you arouse a feeling of empathy rather than antipathy. Intimacy arises in specific kinds of conversations; the questions can vary. You can only live an honest life if you first tackle the issues that cause you to be dishonest in the first place. Before creating this website, I wrote a book on living a meaningful life; it is called How to Be Amazing! Honesty shows that you can be trusted by others wholeheartedly. Respect will take you places in life, and one of the primary ways to do that is by being honest. The best example of this kind of situation is when you have a job interview with a different company, as it is not likely that you can admit you have a job interview somewhere else. That is the very opposite of respect. Honesty can also help prevent unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings. They know that you are a straight up kind of person who says what they mean and does what they say. However, on the other side of this, people who dont know what they dont know have more courage, and that confidence can pay off. It might even cause certain things to fade due to its brightness. Higher quality friends. Sometimes being honest is bad; that isnt to say that lying is good, but instead, sometimes telling the truth isnt the best policy. 1) People Don't Want The Truth 2) Telling the Truth at Work Can Get You Fired 3) Your Privacy is Yours to Keep 4) We Lie to Save Others Feelings 5) Honesty Doesn't Help When Nothing Can Be Changed 6) Honesty Isn't Always Great With Strangers 7) People With Power Over Us Don't Want the Truth 8) Confidence Over Truth Pays Reasons to Quit. When you're interacting with other people, sincerity can go a long way. As human beings, honesty is one of the most valuable traits we can possess. Leaders with integrity is not afraid to face the truth. Not everyone seems to think so. It involves a few key practices: never lying, never hiding the truth, and never purposefully omitting or misdirecting people from the truth. Rather, being honest is also a sign of respect. You dont care about conforming to what others want or making others comfortable. Confidence is one of the underrated reasons why honesty is the best policy. Words cut like knives and its easy to bury your relationship with the verbal cuts of a truthful tongue. Theres no need to disclose everything when it comes to white lies. " Reasons to Quit " is a song recorded by American country music artists Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Its much more stressful to lie about something than to tell the truth. Experto en Seguridad y Defensa; Relaciones Internacionales; Liderazgo y Planificacin, Just being honest in your life and in your work, not you'll be forced to duck your head to anyone or anything, Applied Scientist, Entrepreneur, Investor, Writer. Three elements comprise a working relationship love, respect, and trust. When youre more focused on pleasing others than living an authentic life, thats when it becomes a problem. This is often the reason why integrity in a leader one of the most important properties is to have. Be humane. Makes You Reliable. When you consistently demonstrate honesty in your words and actions, you become known as someone who can be trusted and relied upon. Being honest will take you to several places in life, but dishonesty can negatively impact your life. Not only will others trust you, but you can also feel more confident when trusting others. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. People who can act confidently despite the reality of the situation will still gain the trust of the people around them. Now, dont confuse simple with easy. Honesty is the best policy and it doesnt get more real than that. If you go to job interviews and are completely honest about you skills and experience (or lack thereof) you will not get a job. The other person doesnt have to second guess what you really mean. When you are honest with yourself, you are more likely to recognize areas where you need to improve and make positive changes. This button displays the currently selected search type. Honesty is the best policy because it shows youre a person of integrity, and you dont have to pretend to be someone youre not. And you must be extremely cautious not to accidentally harm others. Copyright 2023 Subconscious Servant. Maybe not by everyone, but by enough people who matter. No one actually wants to hear what you think. The aspect that builds trustworthy and reliable relationships has everything to do with honesty. Start here and enjoy the journey! Over time, couples may pick up harmful relationship habits that they need to unlearn. Here are five tips for navigating a workplace that is increasingly flooded with data: Be compassionate. But when it comes to the interests of the companies, it makes a lot of sense to be confident because that is how you close contracts. Here's how. Its much better to confront someone with the truth than comfort them with a lie. Consistency is an important trait when it comes to both friendships and relationships. While in childhood this teaches responsibility for one's actions ("I broke the window", "I lost the ball") and consequences are generally limited . Negative emotions like shame and guilt will hinder you from living your best life, but an honest life will encourage you to thrive. Im not suggesting that you lie all the time or claim everything is private, but sometimes honesty doesnt work because it violates your privacy. In conclusion, honesty is indeed the best policy. Everyone knows that sometimes we need to tell white lies rather than hard facts; this isnt so much because it will make a difference, as often we use half-truths where nothing can be changed. Honesty is the best policy by far. Being honest is bad when the truth will hurt people for no reason. Admit that it hurts, but don't torture yourself with "what-ifs.". Most often, dishonesty is the aspect that breaks apart relationships and friendships. Even if you give them a second chance, theres always that idea in your head theyll lie to your again. Honesty is an attitude, a way of life, wherein a person resolves to speak the truth and not involve in any kind of malignant activities, whatsoever. Honesty leads to simplicity, but dishonesty leads to duplicity - the exact opposite. Not to mention, you have fewer things to worry about, and youre not as stressed with everything. By being honest, this is a beautiful reflection of who you are as a person. I say this because the company eventually failed, but before that, I got in trouble after telling the CEO that the codebase was problematic. Since honesty is also connected to how you maintain and develop relationships, being a dependable individual builds your self-esteem. Often honesty is the worst thing you can do. Your smartphone already knows more about your life than your closest friends. When you are truthful and transparent with others, you reduce the chances of miscommunication and misinterpretation. However, before I tried to market it, I asked some of my friends to read it; one of them later told me that he liked the book and was glad that he didnt have to lie about it because I am his friend. When someone meets you for the first time and youre an honest person, your admirable character is immediately recognized. The truth is honesty is often a veiled form of self-indulgence. Why integrity is a core value in life? Well, okay, honesty IS the best policy. My wife is a fantastic chef as we always eat great meals when she is cooking, and I know the rest of my family is usually jealous of what she makes. While we may feel temporarily relieved when we shoot off rounds of honesty, we pay a terrible price for this temporary satisfaction, as we harm our relationships and our own self-esteem (you cant feel proud of yourself when you misbehave). Each of us sees "facts" through a haze of beliefs, attitudes and experiences. Often we might feel that this is the kindest thing to do or the thing that suits us best. Being honest is not always easy. When honesty is one of your core values as a person, you become more authentic- both towards yourself and others. You must use honesty to help other people, not to hurt them. What Does It Mean When People Say Honesty Is The Best Policy? It means that most often, you have the best of intentions. Make sure the truth is the truth. When you arent entirely honest with others in what you want, it allows them to challenge you and try to persuade you to their way of thinking. It represents the goodness of your heart. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. I talked a little about a company that I worked at before and how it didnt work out well for me when I told them about problems. When you honestly speak from this place, you arouse a feeling of empathy rather than antipathy. Keep coming back to this page for the truth others are afraid to speak. You have power when you have integrity because then it means youre living your life according to your morality. Most of the time, people just want to hear nice things, or things that are convenient. Not only will this benefit your overall reputation, but consistency is an admirable trait to anyone. Being honest is not good when there can be some risk of telling the truth. Its much easier to sway to everyone elses opinions, but living an honest life means staying true to yourself. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Living a life of honesty can also lead to inner peace and authenticity. District Sales Manager at Janome America Inc. For that reason, I learnt a lesson and was always more curious about what I said at later jobs. Honesty is the best policy because its the right and moral thing to do simple as that. And, of course, it feels damn good to release them. Youre honest not to show others your image, but because its who you genuinely are. Learn more at Kasanoff.com. You cant keep comparing yourself to others to live a truthful life. Honesty isnt just about stating truthful facts all the time, but its also being true to yourself and the way you live your life. Not only that, but as soon as you lie, you will live with the fear of that lie being discovered. It's also important to remember that anger is never the primary emotion. The guilt can weigh heavy on our hearts if it's a lie that we have to keep up. Whether it is with your family, friends, or coworkers, trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship. At my first job out of college, I worked for a startup, and that was a spectacular failure, but it was a significant learning experience. Ever . In a nutshell, when feelings build up, its frustrating to sit on them. Related: The Truth Hurts: 101+ Quotes About Lying In A Relationship. Theres bravery in deciding to be honest with everyone in your life. Always be generous. Honesty is an integral character trait that makes people become better versions of themselves. Since intimate relationships trigger negative feelings, this means most of us are mistreating the people we love most by lashing out and even verbally killing those we supposedly love in various overt and symbolic ways. When you honestly speak from this place, you arouse a feeling of empathy rather than antipathy. Being honest offers a number of benefits for us in our daily lives. The thing about telling a nice story or a less painful lie is that it helps the people we care about. If you want to apply the concept honesty is the best policy in your life, you should first ask yourself why you feel the need to lie. However, honesty isnt about how you appear to others, but its what you can provide by being honest. Honesty is what makes relationships have a strong foundation to last. Men have long been silent and stoic about their inner lives, but theres every reason for them to open up emotionallyand their partners are helping. 5. One day the phone rang, and for some reason, I decided to pick it up. We should always use honesty to encourage others not to criticize. When youre an honest person by nature, you also get back what you give most often than not. Honesty will always be at the base of every relationship and friendship since its a bond that cant work without trust. One of the most important reasons to embrace honesty in your life is to establish trust in your relationships. That feel good sensation is a form of gratification. And authenticity is a great way to live. Your friends love the "true you," not the one you've artificially created. Others will negatively perceive you if you live a dishonest life. In my book Kiss Your Fights Goodbye: Dr. Loves 10 Simple Steps to Cooling Conflict and Rekindling Your Connection, I discuss so-called Fight Traps, which are the dysfunctional ways that humans act out anger. Honesty is the best policy for the reason that, without honesty, people wouldnt be able to rely on you. Speaking of relationships, this is an evident factor behind why honesty is the best policy. Through honesty, you give people the truth that they deserve, instead of believing in deception and lies. When youre honest, your intentions are clear. We are told from a young age to always tell the truth, regardless of circumstance or consequence. Leaving a positive legacy can be a powerful motivator for living a life of honesty and integrity. In fact, it can often be difficult and uncomfortable when you are telling someone something they might not want to hear. If you were completely honest about who you are and what you want on first dates then you would never get a second date. Oftentimes, we conceal our true desires or preferences behind the curtain of sure and fine and okay rather than speak our truth. Finally, embracing honesty in your life can help promote a culture of honesty and integrity in your community and society at large. You may not get your way every time because compromises must often be made, but at least youll get your way sometimes or a middle ground will be reached that suits you both. Being honest causes less guilt When most of us say something that isn't truthful to someone, it causes us to feel guilt. When you stop pretending to be someone youre not, you can then live a highly confident life. The reason why relationships fall apart is a lack of trust, respect, and love and as mentioned earlier, honesty is also a sign of all three of those. After all, words are like bullets and once you say the wrong ones, it can haunt someone forever. No one wants to hear that their work sucked, so constructive criticism is always better. My Champions, you know me. Honesty gives us tremendous freedom in life. Meaning The phrase 'Honesty is the Best Policy' teaches that it is always better to tell truth rather than lying to escape an unwanted situation. It also encourages others to do the same, which can lead to more meaningful and productive conversations. Honesty, speaking and acting truthfully, is more than not lying, deceiving, stealing, or cheating. In all your relationships, honesty is what makes you much more reliable and trustworthy. I receive a commission if you choose to purchase anything after clicking on them. Click to reveal Being truthful makes your life ten times easier instead of living a very stressful and frustrating life. People deserve the right to know the authentic version of the truth, even if its uncomfortable and may result in conflict. It is difficult to know what fake even means these days. When youre honest, youre also perceived as reliable, dependable, and someone with integrity. However, when disclosure is completely voluntary, one must question the underlying intent. Doing so would be tactless and cruel, so instead you say something like, "It is so great to see you again," while you might think to yourself that your friend looks a bit on the heavy side. There is no need to remember what you lied about and to whom. At the time, I remember one of my friends said, you shouldnt have told her you cheated; you could have just broken up with her and left it at that. By no means am I suggesting this is the right approach, but it might have had a better outcome? Long ago, my neighbours were out of town for the winter, and they asked me to take care of their cat. We may be dishonest to save someone else from pain, or to further our own interests. Its vital to balance telling the truth and holding on to a white lie regarding relationships. But sometimes, a recipe doesnt work out, and the food isnt as tasty as we are used to. Makes You Brave. People have long claimed that honesty is the best policy, but that saying became popular long before our society was flooded with personal data. The company had to release the product, and hearing about the code problems wouldnt make any difference and couldnt help anyone. Recognize that the "truth" is often subjective. In some circumstances, it is no longer true. Below I have listed five outstanding reasons to be honest in the way that you live. But standardized tests don't necessarily measure ability or achievement. Whether youre getting it off your chest, venting, expressing yourself, airing your feelings or just being honest," the truth about honesty is that honesty is not always the best policy. Its like taking an emotional poop, which provides an instant release of pressure. For this reason, telling the truth isnt the best policy when talking to strangers. Reviewed by Kaja Perina. While honesty is the best policy, this concept may not apply to romantic relationships. It's also important to remember that anger is never the primary emotion. He is the author of How to Self-Promote without Being a Jerk. Even those who seem outwardly confident and charismatic often harbor insecurities (this is often true of famous actors, for example.) But other things like this happen all the time, as there are many sorts of situations where we wont tell the people around us what we think cause we dont want to hurt them. Resist the movement to document every aspect of your work or personal life. This page may contain links to affiliate partners. ; It can be pretty stressful when youre always guilty of being dishonest to others or yourself. Can Asking Specific Questions Deepen Any Relationship? The way people see you is how you actually are. Dishonesty causes stress and frustration, instead of making things much simpler and telling the truth. 1. Check this expert's guide before unloading your frustrations on others. Things that are going on in your personal life arent the business of anyone else business, so if you dont want to talk about it, you dont have to. if (! When someone chooses to be honest and real with you, this is admirable for the reason that its much easier to put up a facade than be real. Instead, they want to vent, feel better and go back to what they were doing before. PostedOctober 6, 2013 Allow All Cookies. To consider whether what you intend to say or do will be helpful and constructive to the other person and your relationship. Not only that, we are respecting the fact that they can handle the truth and dont need to be told lies just because the truth may be difficult to hear. Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for entrepreneurs and executives. If you want to keep certain relationships in your life, honesty is the best way to do that. Lisa Lieberman-Wang Business and Marketing Strategist. Authenticity is a key aspect of happiness and wellbeing. Get your copy by entering your email address below. However, its neither helping yourself nor the people youre lying to. However, one lie is all it takes for someone to doubt you wholeheartedly. Thats a mentally exhausting thing. Honesty Reason #2: The Truth sets you free.