Think the last time you lied to someone you really cared. How did that feel at that time? How about after a few days?
Did you regret it? Would you do it again if you had the chance to do it over?
I have to admit that I’ve my share of telling lies and being dishonest to someone I really cared. I would say that every time I never felt comfortable… at times, I wanted to scream and get it out of my system.
I remember the times where I really regretted telling a lie. I tried to convince myself that it was the right thing. It was hard to face the other person…. and I just had something inside tearing me apart viciously.
My father is incredible honest. He does lie once in a while innocently. But, he hardly did it to the one he really cared. As a businessman, my father was very honest that sometimes I thought he shouldn’t be.
People took advantage of him. His partners robbed him, and he knew it. His so called friends milked him as much as they could. People came to borrow money which you knew they would never repay.
My father was not stupid though.
He treated his workers with extreme honesty. He paid them well and did not try to undercut them. The clients got their money worth for his services and products. The abusive workers were let go after a while. The abusive clients were not served anymore.
When he retired, he sold his business and paid more than the fair share to his partners. He took less than what he invested.
All done and said… my father ended up with a smaller amount of his share that he deserved. But, he didn’t own anything to any one in the world. He sleeps well at night. He enjoys his life and has no regrets on anything he did. He doesn’t feel like he has to hide. He is very confident on who he is and what he did.
His partners are still doing well… but they are in poor health. My father is in great health. I know that some of his abusive workers passed away with terminal illness like cancer. I don’t know about the bad clients.
This could be coincidental…. but, I believe that the honesty my father put into practice in his life paid off at the end. He is happy and healthy. He is able to enjoy life more than someone who miserably cheated in their life.
I think that if you are dishonest… you will feel uncomfortable and feel that you have something to hide. This is a constant uneasy feeling that could destroy your happiness and health.
So, start now. Put an honest day for an honest pay. Don’t lie. Tell the honest truth even if it hurts. The pain will be short term since people could put that aside and move on. The reward of honesty is valuable and long term.