I have believed in telling the truth, even if it makes me look bad (aka I screwed up and have to own it) for a long time.

It was an important element I brought to Confident Voice Studio when I stared it and still live by and tell our clients today.

And it is NOT easy.

Some days telling the truth, especially when I made a mistake, feels like the words don’t want to come out of my mouth.

Like a sticky thick, black gross tar just hanging on for dear life. LOL

And yet it’s the best way for me to live. I don’t have to remember who I lied to and what the lie was.

And for me, it brings so many benefits. I’m not talking about sharing every little thing about yourself with others (that can be overkill and unnecessary) but simply speaking out your truth.

I truly think it’s one of the most important qualities to embody if you want true happiness and peace within yourself.

Dishonesty comes in many forms from hiding emotions, to little white lies, to more serious infractions such as hiding addictions or fraud.

If you want to be a more honest authentic person with everyone, it all starts with you. 

1. Start with Yourself – Most lies start inside. You tell yourself that you’re only eating one serving as you shove another on the plate. It might even be more serious than that, but it always starts with lying to yourself before it moves on to lying to everyone.

2. Stop Doing Anything That Makes You Tell Lies – If you are engaged in any behaviors that cause you to lie to yourself or others stop doing those things. If you cannot be honest about it and own up to it, it’s not for you.

3. Be Yourself – If you’re unsure about who you are, you may want to explore that more with a life coach who can help you discover yourself. When you do know who you are, seek to be that person and don’t put on airs.

4. Stop Comparing Yourself to Other People – One thing that can cause people to be dishonest is social media and the perfection you see online. First, no one is as perfect as you see online. Remember that people like to share the good things in their life, not the bad.

5. Show Your Feelings – If you have a hard time showing your feelings and tend to hide them, that is also a form of lying or dishonesty – with yourself and others. It’s okay to have feelings and to admit to them and show them.

6. Stop “Little White Lies” – Now, you shouldn’t tell people that their new haircut is ugly, but don’t automatically gush over it if it’s not impressive. You don’t have to tell the salesperson a lie, or the PTA president, or even your boss. You can be honest about why you want to say no, and sometimes you don’t even have to say why.

Being honest is about being more assertive. You can say no when you need to say no without feeling bad about it. Can you imagine a better lesson for us to learn (and the kids in our lives)???

It might just take a little bit of practice depending on how long you’ve allowed yourself to be less than transparent. It’s going to feel so good when you do start being more honest with everyone, including yourself.

I’d love to know which of these feels the most important for you to remember. Hit reply and tell me and I’ll share mine with you. We can practice honesty together. 🙂

Deanna “I cannot tell a lie” Maio

ps: Did you check out my new podcast yet? Confident Singing Made Simple made it to the top 58 in the performing arts category in the US and 148 in the UK.

You can listen, subscribe and leave a review now. Click here!