Honesty A Core Value
One of the most basic core values is honesty. Honesty is demonstrated by what we say and by what we do. It impacts our entire life; our jobs, our relationships, our own feelings about ourselves and the actions we take. It can move us forward and allow us to feel good about what we do. It sets an example for our children and it influences the people around us. W. Clement Stone’s quote is a perfect example of honesty, his words contain true words of wisdom. “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”
“Have The Courage To Say No”
Saying “no” can be a difficult thing to do at times. Especially when faced with peer pressure. When a good friend or a family member wants us to do something that we know is dishonest, it takes courage to say no. You will find people will make fun of you saying, what is the big deal, or, no one will know. You need to have self-respect to stand for what you believe is the right thing to do. In the long run you will be glad you did!
“Have The Courage To Face The Truth”
Sometimes the truth hurts and we want to deny it or not believe it. But, we have a responsibility to face it and accept it. There are those who would prefer to take the easy way out and just ignore it. And sometimes by accepting the truth we find it difficult but by doing this we are showing intergrity.
“Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right”
We all know in our hearts what the right thing to do is. But again sometimes it is peer pressure, or the easy way out that can be tempting to not do the right thing.
Honesty In Action
I saw honesty in action when I was at a checkout counter in a Wal-Mart store. The line ups were long and we all patiently waited. There was a teenage girl ahead of me. She paid for her items and left. As the cashier was ringing in my items the teenage girl who had been ahead of me in the line, came back and gave the cashier $5.00 because the cashier had given the teenager too much change. The cashier was shocked that the teenager returned it. She thanked the teenager for her honesty. Once the teenager left, the cashier said to me, “That is a rare occurrence.” It made me smile to be a witness to such honesty.
This was a true example of “doing the right thing”. The teenager could have easily pocketed the 5.00 and no one would have knew. But the teenager’s own values made the decision easy to return the money.
The teenage demonstrated the meaning in the quote by Spencer Johnson, “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
Another Example
This time it involved an individual who left a firm that engaged in questionable practices. He was selling advertising space, however, the magazine was not being published on a regular basis. But he was expected to sell the advertising as if the magazine was published weekly. Although, he needed the money to support his family, he was unwilling to work for a firm that had questionable practices so he resigned.
This individual had the courage to say “no,” even though it meant losing an income that he really needed. But rather than compromise his honesty he said no he wouldn’t do this.
Edward R. Murrow once said, “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” The individual could not sell something he did not believe in because he knew the truth about the publication of the magazine.
Choices We Make
In both of these examples, the people could have chosen a different action, however there own values allowed them to make a choice that they could be proud of! And in life, it is all about choices we make. And, how the direction of our lives comes down to the choices we choose. Honesty is not only doing the right thing, it is living with yourself with the choices you make.
When we are honest we never have to worry about trying to remember what we said. I can remember one of my friends who was really upset one day. When I asked them what was wrong, their reponse was, “I can’t remember what I told them.” Not understanding I question her more and it turns out she was not exactly honest about a situation and she had told a few people different stories about this situation. I questioned her about why she just was not honest about it and her response was, “I didn’t want to hurt them.” But in the end she did not only hurt them, but she hurt herself and caused stress to everyone involved. Dishonesty never pays, it never protects, it never gives success; dishonesty hurts!
To summarize I will again quote W. Clement Stone: “”You always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice. Only you have the power to choose for yourself.”
Straight or Crooked
Author: William B. Knight
A young man was telling his friend about a dishonest thing he had done. He said to the friend, “Of course I know that it was not exactly straight , but .”
Said the friend, “In other words, it was crooked!”
Then the self-excusing, dishonest young man said, “Well, I wouldn’t want to call it crooked, but it wasn’t exactly straight!”
“Remember this,” replied his friend, “a line is either straight or it is crooked. If it is notexactly straight, it is crooked. Remember also that ill-gotten gain never prospers!”
It Is Better
Author: Unknown
“It is better to lose with a conscience clean
Than to win with a trick unfair;
It is better to fail, and to know you’ve been,
Whatever the prize was, square.
Than to claim the joy of a far-off goal
And the cheer of the standers-by,
And to know down deep in your inmost soul,
A cheat you must live and die.”
Inspirational Quotes for Reflection:
“Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.”Dennis Prager
“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.. Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”Nelson Mandela
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Thomas Jefferson
“Honesty and loyalty are key. If two people can be honest with each other about everything, that’s probably the biggest key to success.” Taylor Lautner
“We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.” George Bernard Shaw
“Honesty, truth and decency all link together- by loving all of these, we can improve our families, communities and our society.” Estella Eliot
“Honesty is fearing a negative response and telling the truth anyway. ” Michelle C. Ustaszeski
“Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist.” Mary Kay Ash
In the long run, I believe that honesty is definitely the best policy. One can get away by being dishonest for a short term, but ultimately, honesty is what pays.” Kapil Dev
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