Why Honesty is Always the Best Policy
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
-??????Thomas Jefferson
It’s sometimes difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. Have you noticed that? Where on earth do you go to find something that resembles the truth these days? When the media reflect a particular political inclination and the news gets processed, filtered and adjusted by spin doctors, it’s sometimes hard to know what’s really going on in the world. Think about it for a moment. For every news story, there’s an inevitable and opposite slab of opinion that seeks to contradict it. No wonder the world’s become a more confusing place to find clarity. Perhaps that’s why so many people today are drawn to self-proclaimed gurus and thought-leaders. It’s our attempt to find a reliable thread of continuity that helps us to make some kind of sense of the chaos. From the levels of doubt and confusion that prevail in our world, the quest for truth and clarity has clearly failed to find what it’s looking for.
Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living and truth loving.
-??????James E. Faust
The Internet was intended as a fabulous source of knowledge, facts and information. Unfortunately, instead, social media have provided most of the planet with an unfiltered and unedited voice on every imaginable topic. And this has added immeasurably to the noise and clamour and confusion. The sheer volume of opinions that pour out of social media sites every second of every day creates immense distortion. We’re overwhelmed by the cascades of information, whether they’re based on fact or simply a product of someone’s imagination. And this has made it increasingly difficult to discern the threads of truth in a very complex world.
So, what can we do about it?
The obvious answer is to think about the purpose behind every article, video, pronouncement and story. Ask yourself, “What are they really saying?” “Why do they use those particular words?” “What kind of emotional reaction are they trying to create?”
The idea is to learn to discriminate rather than accepting everything at face value. Engage your critical faculties to understand the underlying meanings. Create some distance between yourself and whatever you’re watching or reading. That’s one way to add a useful filtration system into the mix. It might easily help you to become more aware of how your reactions are being manipulated – because it’s happening all the time!
Honesty and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur.
-??????Zig Ziglar
The other approach is perhaps even more far-reaching. In a world of uncertainty, distortions and unpredictability, let’s take a break from seeking integrity in the world outside of ourselves. Let’s turn within ourselves and become the truth and integrity we’re looking for.
Let’s be the change we seek in the world.
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It certainly isn’t a new idea. It’s part of the great human heritage of wisdom that’s been around for thousands of years. So, rather than hoping that the world will become a better place, let us take the initiative and begin the revolution within our own hearts.
Become a living example of what you admire and respect the most.
Encourage others with your example rather than with your words. Be the embodiment of the virtues you’d like to see in other people. Let honesty shape your behaviour. Temper your truth with compassion. The results might just astonish you. And honesty allows you to say that you don’t know or that you aren’t sure. Honesty creates the space for you to recognise that you might need more information before you can come to a conclusion. Honesty allows you to be who you are without the need to pretend. That’s where you find the inner peace of self-acceptance and the raw fuel of self-empowerment.
Confidence thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.
-??????Franklin D. Roosevelt
Make today the day when you embrace the principles that you feel are missing in the world. Be the force for change through your personal example. If the messages that pour forth from the media don’t match your standards of integrity, have the courage to dismiss them before they take root in your thoughts and feelings. Because honesty is a powerful addition to the quest for success and personal fulfilment.
The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjustment dial on his bathroom scale!
-??????Arthur C. Clarke
Greg Parry created The Wellness Foundation and the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.
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