People tell lies all the time. Big lies, little lies, white lies and lies of every other color of the rainbow 🌈. But lies of any shape, size or color all have the same purpose, which is to obscure the truth. And the worse lies are the ones we tell ourselves. When we choose to be dishonest with ourselves, we hold ourselves back from being the best version of ourselves.
The most common form of self-deceit (and self-defeat) usually begin with the words "I'm not..." or "I'm too...".Â
Examples of lies we often tell ourselves:
- "I'm not young/old enough" or "I'm too old/young"
- "I'm not in the right point in life" or "I'm too busy"
- "I'm not creative/smart enough" or "I'm too smart to be bothered with this"
People are usually okay with lying to others for various reasons, from feeling like they need to protect themselves to earning acceptance, but whatever the reason, the lie doesn't make us better. Lies only hinder people, including ourselves, from seeing the truth and being better. When we lead with honesty, especially with ourselves, we have a clearer understanding of what we need and the people around us need. To be honest is to be transparent after all, so it makes the path to better lives and relationships easier to see.