“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.” -Abraham Lincoln
A life of simplicity can be defined as a life that has removed all of the nonessentials. It is marked by oneness. It is uncomplicated. As a result, it is freeing. It allows our lives to be focused on the things that are most important to us.
Simplicity in life cannot be achieved without honesty. Honesty can live without simplicity, but simplicity cannot live without honesty. Consider the fact that every time we are not truthful, we create an alternate reality. And subsequently, we are forced to live a life in both worlds: the true one and the one we’ve created. On the other hand, when we choose honesty in all aspects of life including our marriage, our business, and our relationships, we live the same life wherever we are. Honesty leads to simplicity, but dishonesty leads to duplicity – the exact opposite.
Consider the other benefits of a honest lifestyle:
- Closer friendships. Honesty and integrity pave the way for greater intimacy. Your friends love the “true you,” not the one you’ve artificially created.
- Higher quality friends. Honesty attracts honesty. People who are trustworthy and honest attract trustworthy and honest friends. And those are the best friends to have.
- Trust. Honest people are trusted by others.
- Confidence. Honest people trust themselves. Never underestimate the life-changing power of the ability to trust yourself.
- Wellness – Honesty has been linked to less colds, less fatigue, less depression, and less anxiety.
- Less stress – Dishonesty needs to be maintained. Pretending to be something you are not requires constant attention to detail, even for the most experienced. Honest people are better able to relax because they are just being themselves and naturally, feel better about themselves and less overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, early in our life we learn that dishonesty can have incredible short-term benefits. It can get us out of trouble. It can get us what we want. It can make it easier to please the people around us. And all of us develop the habit (albeit, to varying degrees.).
Living an honest life takes effort – especially at the beginning. It requires a decision to pursue it and some action steps to get it started. But once it begins to gain momentum in your life and you begin to realize its many benefits, honesty will become easier and easier.
To get started, consider some of these essential truths to living an honest life:
- Character, integrity, and morality in your life make honesty easier. When you choose to live a life of character, you will soon realize that you have nothing to hide… and honesty is a much easier path if you don’t have anything to hide. There are countless aspects to this point that pertain to our spouses, our children, our bosses, and friends. Pursue integrity in all of them.
- Consider the long-term consequences of a short-term gain. As I mentioned, one of the reasons that we begin living dishonestly in the first place is that the short-term gains seem obvious. Unfortunately, these short-term gains have long-term consequences. We would be wise to consider them and count the whole cost of our decisions.
- Living an honest life on the outside requires you to live an honest life on the inside. If you are going to be completely honest with others, you’ve got to be completely honest with yourself. If we have hurts in our lives that we have been denying, we need to acknowledge them, admit them, and address them.
- Sometimes, it’s the 2 and 3 letter words that can be the toughest. When the answer is yes, say “yes.” When the answer is no, say “no.” Be dependable. Follow through on your commitments. And don’t commit to anything that you don’t intend to complete.
- Being honest is not the same as saying everything we think. Just because something is true does not mean that it has to be said. One of the tougher points of living an honest life is knowing when to avoid conflict, when to address conflict, and when to create conflict. Learn the difference. And learn from your mistakes on this one.
- Use honesty to encourage, not criticize. Honesty is a powerful tool and like most tools, it can be used for good or evil. It can be used to build others up or it can be used to tear others down. While the tone of your words plays a huge role in determining the difference, your motivation plays an even bigger role. Use your words to genuinely build others up, not tear them down. The same truth spoken in a different way with a different motivation can have completely different results.
Honesty is not just the best policy for simplicity, it is the only policy. True simplicity is unattainable without it. And that’s the truth.
FAZILA ASHRAF says
reallly gud job…
FAZILA ASHRAF says
REALLY HELPED ME…THANXXX 4 ur compliment……
coverage definitions says
Well I guess I don’t have to spend the weekend figuring this one out!
Angel says
Very good work. Kee up the outstanding work. Best insight Ive ever read. Stay Golden!
:D
Rachel Llana says
The insight is very helpful. It gives a person direction
di says
We all need direction and hope for a better future.
MG says
Just discovered your blog and I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE what I just read. Very inspiring…BTW….this is my first time EVER leaving comments…usually I just read and move on, but in this case I really had to say something. Thank you!
sachin joseph says
Wow……This blog rocks!
heather says
“One of the tougher points of living an honest life is knowing when to avoid conflict, when to address conflict, and when to create conflict. Learn the difference. And learn from your mistakes on this one.”
Said beautifully. Thank you.
di says
There are those that will always choose to enter into conflict and then those that do not.
Sergio says
What a great read. The point you make about the complexity of living in two worlds as a result of dishonesty is particularly compelling. This makes me look at lies and dishonesty the same way I look at clutter, as something to get rid of and make sure it doesn’t accumulate again. Cheers.
di says
Dishonesty is a trait that others can detect.
ralph a. monroid says
it makes me changed all my bad personality when i read ur blog it is the bes Abraham Lincolnt it makes all the liar changed thier bad personality thnx.
di says
It’s easier to be honest than you think.
Ashley C. says
Great post! Honesty is key when it comes to living a peacful and happy life. I also like that you listed the last two points, which are often forgotten when people write on the topic of honesty. It is important to remember that one can be honest while still being sensitive to other’s feelings at the same time. Like our mother’s told us “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. I love your blog, it has really inspired me to pursue a minimalist lifestyle. Keep up the great work!
-Ashley C.