There is a saying, “It is easier to tell a lie than to tell the truth.” That statement in itself is a lie. It is always better to tell the truth even if you think it is going to hurt the other person’s feelings. Telling the truth does not necessarily mean being a jerk or mean to a person. For example, telling a woman, “You look so fat in that dress.” That is being a jerk. Being honest involves sincerity, objectivity, as well as being direct. A lie involves being not only dishonest to others but being dishonest with yourself.
Why is it important to be honest with yourself?
When you are honest with yourself, you hold yourself accountable. When you hold yourself accountable you take all the responsibility off of others and place it right on you. When you see the truth and understand the truth, it makes you want to do something about it. It is important to be honest with yourself because you’ll see the truth and then you’ll know the reality of the situation, and then you’ll know what you need to do to improve on your situation.
For example, let’s say there’s a guy working at a dead-end job, and he’s telling himself, “It’s not that bad, maybe I’ll get a raise.”, “Maybe I’ll be promoted to manager and things will be better.” All those things are lies. The truth is; he’s working a dead-end job, he’s not going anywhere, he’s not going to get rich (if that’s what he wants), and it’s going to be the same thing everyday. However, until he is honest with himself and understands the reality of the situation, he’s going to stay there in hope that things are going to get better, but it’s going to be the same thing everyday until he realizes the truth.
No Lies/Accountability
On another level you might have a person who is overweight and will tell themselves “I’m big-boned” or “Weight problems run in my family”, but deep down they know they have to eat better and exercise to prevent themselves from being overweight. You don’t want to tell yourself the truth because the truth will tell you what you really need to do. There are also cases in which people just don’t know the truth or are ignorant to the truth.
Another aspect of being honest with yourself is holding yourself accountable. Being accountable means acknowledging and accepting the consequences for your actions. If you’re not losing weight like you want, not getting the promotion, or whatever it is, you are responsible. I believe most people don’t like the word accountable because it puts the onus on oneself.
Conclusion
The purpose of this article is not to make anyone feel bad or to make it seem as if I am better than anyone reading this. The purpose is to bring light to the importance of being honest with yourself. I had to learn to be honest with myself, to hold myself accountable, even if the situation was not directly my fault. Once I understood that dynamic, it taught me I am in control of every situation. Being honest with yourself can be very uncomfortable, but being comfortable is the enemy of growth.