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Imagine you are in your car and are backing up when you feel and hear a crunching sound. You realize that you have backed up into another car. Thoughts going through your mind…darn it! …is there a dent in that car? There is. Does it show that bad? Do I leave quickly and hope no one saw it? Do I pull back into my parking spot and write a note of apology and leave insurance information for the vehicles’ owner? What should I choose?
You have two choices. Justify and lie or be honest.
You could justify what you did by thinking, that the car was parked crooked and wasn’t completely in the parking spot so it was bound to happen. OR that by the looks of the car they probably have more money than you, so they would probably have better insurance and can afford to get it fixed. You might even think if I did report it and they got the money to fix it, they just would probably buy a big screen television instead.
You could be honest with yourself and admit that maybe you didn’t turn your head far enough to see that the car was closer than you thought or that maybe it was actually your fault and the car didn’t really magically appear behind yours.
We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger. ~Tad Williams
Today is National Honesty Day, a day to be honest.
According to dictionary.com, one of the definitions of honesty is sincerity, truthfulness, and frankness. According to Henry (Hal) Rosengarten, “Honesty seems to have several meanings. People want others to be honest in their dealings, but they do not always seem to think that they need to be honest with others. We see people, public figures, accused of crimes, refusing to accept any blame, decrying any thought that they may have done something wrong, only to plead guilty a few weeks later.”
Here are 5 steps to becoming a more honest person; honestly…some of us could probably use a refresher course.
According to ehow.com:
1. Before you speak, think. Think how you would feel if someone said it to you and if it is something that would do more damage than good, keep it to yourself.
2. To develop an honest character and take care of commitments, one should give back what was borrowed from a neighbor, and give that extra change back to the clerk. If you bought something and the clerk didn’t scan it, take it back and have it scanned.
3. Talk about yourself to others and share things that might not make you seem perfect, being discreet to the present company.
4. Be honest with yourself.
5. Choose someone you can be honest with, while keeping in mind that trust is something earned.
While managing a store, Abe Lincoln noticed that a man had paid too much when he was counting the money. He walked to the man’s house and gave him back his money. This instance and others, made Abe Lincoln become known as, Honest Abe.
No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln
Honesty can sometimes be expensive, but trustworthiness is invaluable. So let’s be honest here, and celebrate National Honesty Day!
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