Ten Tips for Being more Truthful

#1) Make a commitment to tell the truth

Quote: "There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There is no such thing in between.
-Anonymous

In order to become more truthful you must become committed to telling the truth. This means that you must try to tell the truth at all times, no matter the result. This means that you must always tell the truth even if it is the unpopular choice or belief. Even if it may seem impossible at first, you should at least work to telling less lies, and the next day tell even less lies, until you reach that day in which you do not lie. This is important because being truthful can help you make many companion and friendships.

#2) Tell someone about your commitment.

Quote: "Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were gonna do"

-Anonymous

As previously discussed you should work to becoming more committed to telling only truths and no lies. Although it may seem difficult at first, there are many ways and things you can do to help you. One of those is to tell someone about your commitment to telling the truth. By doing so, you are increasing your chances of fulfilling your commitment. If you do not tell anyone about your commitment, and keep them all to yourselves you may have trouble or difficulty in the future trying to accomplish them. This is because the person who you told your commitment to can help you accomplish and fulfill that commitment. 

#3) Think before you give a dishonest answer, explanation, sarcasm, or reason.

Quote: "Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable."

-Anonymous

Before you even think about telling a lie, you should think about the repercussions and what could occur from telling that lie. Not only will people not look down upon you for lying, but you will lose your respect and trust from those people. It is important to always tell the truth for it can yield many benefits, such as good relationships with others. I will apply this tip everyday and everytime I even think about lying, and it will help me become a better person, just like it can help everyone else become a better person.

#4) Be careful of when and how you use exaggeration, sarcasm, or irony.

Quote: "Difficult experiences + exaggeration = disaster" 

-Anonymous

In everyday life you must limit or refrain from using exaggeration, sarcasm, and irony at inappropriate times. In some occasions it is appropriate to use these items, such as in an essay, but for the most part these items only cause confusion amongst many people. Exaggeration can cause people to believe a certain time is more intense/less intense than it is, sarcasm can make people believe you are telling the truth when in reality you are poking fun at them, and irony causes people to feel both these items. All these items are traits of liars, which is what you should not be. 

#5) Be careful not to twist the truth or leave out part of the truth

Quote: "Once someone finds you telling a lie, they question whatever you have to say from then on."

-Anonymous

Whenever you are talking to someone it is important that you tell the truth through everything you have to say. Make sure to be telling the whole truth too, because although you are telling the truth, there are ways which your truths become lies. For instance if you stretch the truth out or manipulate the truth, either through exaggeration or sarcasm, that counts as lying. Lying will only lead to you losing trust and respect amongst others and it can make you seem like an untrustworthy person. Remember to tell the truth in everything you say.

#6) Don't indulge in your little white lies

Quote: "Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things" 

-Terry McAuliffe 

You must not tell a lie no matter how big or small the lie is. A lie is a lie no matter what, and telling multiple little white lies can actually lead to you telling bigger lies. Which is why you should refrain from telling any little lies, big lies, and big lies in general. An example is telling your friend that their haircut looks good when it looks bad. It is better to tell the truth so the friend can really know how you feel. 

#7) Watch out for silent lies

Quote: "The cruelest lies are often told in silence."
-Anonymous

There are many types of lies, such as white lies, but one type of lie which can cause the most damage or leave a greater negative effect on someone are silent lies. Silent lies are lies which may seem like truths but in reality are lies. These are one of the worst type of lies because they manipulate the person and make him/her feel like you are being trustworthy when in reality you are deceiving
them. You should not tell any lies and you should especially not tell any silent lies. Instead you should be a truthful person, who attempts to tell the truth in all they do. Doing so will make you more responsible, and gain your more trust/respect from the people around you.

#8) When you catch yourself lying, throw your mouth into reverse."

Quote: "A single lie discovered is enough to create doubt in every truth."
-Anonymous

You should always refrain from lying. If you happen to find yourself telling or about to tell a lie you should stop immediately and not say that lie. Then go on to tell the truth because telling the truth can only make people gain more trust and responsibility in you. If you lie, whether it be once or on many occasions, you are bringing a bad name upon yourself, for you are making the person you are lying to you not trust you. Always tell the truth if you want to encounter success and healthy relationships. Always tell lies if you want to encounter failure and bad relationships.

#9) Talk to yourself

Quote: "Talk to yourself once in a day... Otherwise you may miss meeting an excellent person in the world." 

-Anonymous 

In order to stop yourself from lying more often you should talk to yourself. By doing so you are making sure that in future conversation you have with other people you do not tell any lies. It is also important to talk to yourself on a daily basis because you can get to know yourself better. If you do not talk to yourself and just remain silent, you are not getting to know yourself better and are missing out on discovering new attributes or skills you may have. Next time you are alone, try to talk to yourself, for you will discover many new things about yourself.

#10) Treat yourself when you tell the truth

Quote: "The way you treat yourself sets the standard for how you treat others." 

-Sanya Friedman 

It is important to treat yourself right on a daily basis, especially whenever you tell a truth. It is important to treat yourself right whenever you tell a truth so that you can get accustomed to telling the truth and experiencing that good feeling whenever you tell the truth. It is also important to tell the truth because it will rub off on how you treat other people. Telling the truth and treating yourself right after tou tell the truth will only yield positive results, while not telling the truth or treating yourself will yield negative results. 

Reflection:

These ten tips can play a great role in my future and everyday activities. For one, they can help me not lie and help gain more respect and trust amongst people, which will thus lead to better relationships with others. These tips can also benefit me more, by helping me make myself a better person. The tips which I am applying right now are 1, 3, and 4 which are to become committed to telling the truth, think before giving a dishonest answer, and refrain from using exaggeration. As time passes, I will try to incorporate the other tips and follow them. So far, these tips are helping me become a more truthful and trustworthy person. They can also help me in achieving my life planning goals as they can lead me on the path to achieving those goals.