The world doesn’t work without honesty. So everyone wants honesty from other people. But only you know in your own heart if you are being honest or not. Only you know if you are shortchanging your partner, your loved ones or your friends. Only you know if you are being honest.
One of the keys to good relationships is communication. But it has to be honest communication. We need people to tell the truth. We need people who have the nerve to say it when the emperor has no clothes. There will be communication-whether you say anything or not!
The trick is, learning how to communicate honestly. “Your hair looks really awful today! What happened?!” is honest. But it’s not the best way to communicate.
Being honest with wisdom and maturity means you have to fine-tune your skills. It means learning how to recognize the right moment; how to speak tactfully without whitewashing the truth; and how to take a look at your own agenda and be willing to say nothing at all, if you doubt your own motives.
I’ll give you a hint: If you find yourself saying things like, “Well, I was just being honest!” you haven’t been honest with wisdom.
Honesty is a value that we all cherish. So be honest with yourself first before you can expect it from other people. And when you are honest yourself, you will start to surround yourself with people who are also honest.