“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain
Which of us hasn’t told a little white lie from time to time? No, I’m not planning a surprise birthday party for you tonight. Well, I mailed the check last week; you should get it any day now. Are you kidding… that outfit makes you look thin!
OK, so hopefully no harm done.
But we have to be careful: Telling even small lies becomes a slippery slope, where it gets easier and easier to avoid telling the truth whenever it’s convenient. It can become insidiously habitual, and eventually, inevitably, you slip up. But worse, you dilute your integrity just as you diluted the truth.
Saying what you mean and meaning what you say, every time, is what allows people to know you as someone they can trust. Someone who is authentic. And your integrity is something no one can ever take away from you.