When you interact with others, friends, colleagues, neighbours and even your boss you may feel you have to say certain things or misconstrue certain situations just to impress them. You may find yourself thinking “If must fit in, I must gain acceptance at all costs, I want to be a part of this group, I don’t want to let my boss down and so on.
We all go through these stages in life. We all have had to make decisions as to whether it is better to tell a lie and be accepted or to cover up our inadequacies rather than let ourselves down. So instead of being ourselves we tell others what it is we think they want to hear or we cover up our inadequacies by blatantly lying.
“Above all – to thine own self be true”. This famous quote was said by Polonius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet and has over the years inspired many to behave ethically and honestly in business, society, politics and sport.
It means to know yourself and be true to yourself. Being honest with yourself will lead you to be honest with others thereby increasing your credibility and integrity. Being honest to self will help you to find your own identity and allow you to live your life in a manner you will be proud of. You will become more independent and more capable of making personal life changing decisions.
You do not have to walk in other peoples footsteps in order to be successful; you don’t have to follow the crowd. Most importantly you don’t have to lie to succeed in life or in business.
Being dishonest and unethical will hold you back and create an environment where you are stymied and held back in terms of your personal progress and growth. You will never reach your potential.
So live your life in an honest manner and be true to yourself and to others at all times. Teach yourself, and allow yourself to be yourself at all times. Do what you believe to be right at all times.
At all time we should all strive to and ensure we live our lives in accordance with our own values, morals and principles rather than those of other people. To be honest and authentic you must live your life honestly and authentically which means being true to your own values and beliefs irrespective of the consequences.
This is not always easy and may not at time be the most exciting course of action to take. At times, doing what you know to be right means going against the crowd and sometimes even going against your family and friends. But this is the price you must be prepared to pay if you want to remain authentic, honest and honourable.
Being true to yourself is easier that many think and the rewards are far greater and more lasting. When you tell the truth you don’t have to worry about what you said or what you did or whether it was right or wrong. You did it, you made the decision and now you are prepared to take responsibility for your actions.
You were true to self, you trust yourself and the motives for your decision and now you are willing to take responsibility and prepared to explain your actions.
The result of integrity and honesty – being true to self - are that you will gain respect, others know they can trust you, you demonstrate your ability to think for yourself and your ability to make ethical decisions under trying conditions.
You will develop self confidence and gain the esteem of others. You will have faith and trust in yourself and have confidence in the decisions you make. When you trust yourself and do what you know is right, you will realise your full potential and take personal control of your life.
In order to be true to self we must all must
- Live by our morals and values and strive to achieve our personal goals.
- Live with integrity at all time and in all situations. We all know what is right and wrong so we are all capable of making right and wrong decisions and choices. Listen to the voice in your head and be guided by it.
- Always communicate honestly. Say what you mean and say it clearly. Don’t, when accused of dishonesty, say you were misquoted or taken out of context; it is your responsibility to make sure what you say is clear and in context.
- Listen carefully to others and don’t make any assumptions. Clarify situations and feelings before making judgments
Remember that “Honesty is still the best policy”
Des Squire (Managing Member) AMSI and ASSOCIATES cc
des@amsiandassociates.co.za or 0828009057
www.amsiandassociates.co.za
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