TL;DR

The habit of being honest is not simply a nobel virtue, but a necessary prerequisite in knowing how to navigate life.

If you are honest, you will attract and reflect honest results.

You may not like the results, and they may even go contrary to what you wish were true–but if that were the case, then it wouldn’t be truth anymore.

However, when you are given honest feedback, and you trust you have been honest with yourself, then you can reliable use the feedback as a sound cornerstone to build towards realizing your ideal self.

What is Honesty?

Honesty is communicating truth or providing accurate information.

Is Honesty limited to speech?

Honesty can extend beyond speech to encompass actions, intentions, and behaviors.

For example, if you have a lottery ticket that’s off by one number, and you decide to modify your ticket to match the winning ticket, then your action would be dishonest.

It’s best to think of honesty as communication–it is the means through which you engage with yourself, other people, and the world. If you’re communication is not accurate, whether you’re displaying your lottery ticket, speaking about your contributions on a project, or telling someone what you really want.

Detecting dishonesty that’s applied to other parties is pretty easy. What does it look like to be dishonest to oneself, and how is this different from being inauthentic?

We become dishonest when we consciously or unconsciously avoid facing uncomfortable truths, rationalize their actions, or suppress their genuine feelings and desires.

It is creating false habitual narratives that do not accurately reflect how the world really works. That’s not to say that naivety and ignorance are a form of dishonesty, but refusing to let go of truths that no longer serve you or ignore the new evidence acquired from reality are examples of dishonesty towards oneself.

My Mental Dump

I spent way too much time in my head fantasizing about how great I am–but in reality, I’m far from it.

I’ve put myself to the test, and I see that my theories do not hold up in real life.

I tried making friends, only to realize how awkward and unremarkable I am.

I tried talking about my fun adventures, only to realize I don’t have any wild stories, and I seem to live a pretty boring life.

I tried online dating, and boy was that a hard pill to swallow–to realize that I’m not the catch I thought I was.

Practical Applications

Realizing how detached I am from reality, I can now use my feedback as a reliable indicator of where I am, and what my next step needs to be.

Again, I may not like the results I have, but I’m glad I know where I am in life, so that I can start making progress and building myself up.

I might be wrong, but I’m not lying