Honesty feels different.
Give it…
receive it…
live inside it…
and something settles.
TEST IT.
There is something healing about HONESTY.
It feels good.
It does good.
And when honesty is genuinely given or received, it rarely disappoints the people involved.
Honesty does not need:
marketing,
salesmanship,
advertising,
or gimmicks
to make its point.
It stands on its own.
Honesty is one of the invisible glues that allows human beings to trust one another.
And when we join ourselves to this principle…
we become stronger than when we are busy protecting:
half-truths,
stories,
excuses,
deceptions,
and things we hope nobody discovers.
There is freedom in having nothing to hide.
YOU WILL KNOW
Honesty gets talked about quite a bit.
That is easy.
People want to EXPERIENCE it.
See it working.
Feel it.
Know that somebody’s words and actions agree.
And here is something interesting.
People also recognize when honesty is MISSING.
Sometimes immediately.
Something feels off.
The explanation does not quite fit.
The story changes.
The eyes say one thing while the mouth says another.
That is how powerful honesty is.
It lives in the world of SELF-EVIDENCY.
When it is present…
you know.
When it disappears…
you often know that too.
FREE FOR THE DOING…COSTLY IF NOT DONE
Honesty was here long before any of us arrived.
And it costs nothing to join.
No membership.
No application.
No monthly fee.
LOL.
But NOT joining can become very expensive.
Dishonesty can cost:
trust,
friendships,
business,
marriages,
reputation,
credibility,
peace of mind.
Think about that.
Honesty is FREE.
Dishonesty sends invoices.
People generally remain:
open,
inviting,
approachable,
and trusting
until somebody gives them a reason not to.
That is why honesty and dishonesty are GAME-CHANGERS.
One opens doors.
The other starts closing them.
TEST IT
Here is a little experiment.
Try honesty.
Not cruel honesty.
Not:
“I’M JUST BEING HONEST”
as an excuse to insult somebody.
I mean clean honesty.
Say what happened.
Say what you know.
Say what you do not know.
Say what you did.
Say what you meant.
If you made the mistake…
own it.
Then notice what happens inside.
Now reverse it.
Have somebody deceive you.
Notice THAT feeling.
There is your test.
The principle holds up pretty well.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Honesty may occasionally be uncomfortable…
but dishonesty usually requires continuing maintenance.
TEMPTATION CONSIDERS HONESTY A NUISANCE
Why would anybody choose dishonesty?
Because dishonesty sometimes advertises itself as a shortcut.
Instant gratification.
Avoid embarrassment.
Get the deal.
Escape the consequence.
Look better.
Get what you want.
Right now.
Honesty walks in and says:
WAIT A MINUTE.
Tell the truth.
Accept the consequence.
Do this correctly.
Naturally…
temptation finds honesty irritating.
LOL.
But shortcuts have destinations too.
And many of them lead somewhere we never intended to visit.
IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT HONESTY
Think about what would happen if honesty disappeared.
Contracts would mean nothing.
Promises would mean nothing.
Marriage vows would mean nothing.
Money transactions would mean nothing.
Testimony would mean nothing.
Friendship would become suspicion.
Business would become paranoia.
Everybody would have to protect themselves from everybody else.
Eventually, you would get:
chaos,
enmity,
strife,
fear,
lack of intimacy,
and very little genuine love.
Then the rules become:
survival of the fittest,
might makes right,
and he who has the gold makes the rules.
What kind of world would that be?
Not one I want to live in.
WHO DO THEY SAY YOU ARE?
Someone once asked me about a certain person.
The first thing that came into my mind was:
THEY WERE NOT HONORABLE.
Notice how powerful that statement is.
I did not have to write a report.
Did not have to give a speech.
Did not have to list twenty incidents.
The person’s reputation had already done the work.
Another time I asked somebody about a man.
Their answer?
“He is not an honorable man.”
There it is again.
That says quite a bit.
A lifetime can become summarized in a sentence.
That is why character matters.
WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY WHEN YOU LEAVE THE ROOM?
This is worth considering.
Everybody has a reputation traveling slightly behind them.
You walk out…
and sometimes your reputation stays for another five minutes.
What do people say?
“He keeps his word.”
“She tells you straight.”
“You can trust him.”
“She is fair.”
Or:
“Be careful.”
That information becomes social currency.
And once credibility is damaged…
repair is expensive.
HONESTLY…I AM HONEST
Honesty does not require announcements.
Someone constantly telling you:
“Trust me.”
“I am an honest person.”
“I would never lie.”
may eventually cause you to wonder why the advertising campaign is necessary.
LOL.
Real honesty tends to be quieter.
It shows itself.
It becomes a pattern.
Then people learn:
If Richie tells me something…
this is what he believes to be true.
That is credibility.
No trumpet required.
THE FAMILY OF HONESTY
Honesty does not travel alone either.
It has relatives.
Kindness.
Consideration.
Mindfulness.
Attentiveness.
Humility.
Caring.
Responsibility.
Integrity.
What a group to be associated with.
Honesty without kindness can become unnecessarily harsh.
Kindness without honesty can become avoidance.
Bring them together…
now you have something useful.
HONESTY CAN HEAL BECAUSE IT ENDS THE DOUBLE LIFE
Here is where the healing part becomes interesting.
Dishonesty divides a person.
There is:
what happened…
and what I said happened.
What I feel…
and what I pretend to feel.
What I did…
and what I hope you believe I did.
Now the mind has to maintain two realities.
That is work.
Honesty brings them back together.
What happened?
This.
What did I do?
This.
How do I feel?
This.
What needs correcting?
This.
Now we have something we can work with.
That is where repair begins.
HONESTY DOES NOT GUARANTEE A HAPPY REACTION
This also matters.
Tell the truth…
and somebody may still become angry.
Honesty does not guarantee applause.
It does not erase consequences.
It does not mean:
“I confessed, therefore everything is fine.”
No.
Sometimes honesty begins the difficult part.
But now at least the difficult part is built on REALITY.
That gives everyone something solid to work with.
“I WANT TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU…”
When somebody says this…
hear them out.
Maybe something valuable is coming.
Maybe an admission.
Maybe feedback.
Maybe an apology.
Maybe information you need.
Maybe truth that has been waiting for enough courage to come forward.
Do not automatically become defensive.
Listen.
Because this could be the beginning of something very good.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
Honesty is free.
Dishonesty sends invoices.
Another:
Truth may make the room uncomfortable…
but lies can make the whole life uncomfortable.
And one more:
If you want peace inside yourself, stop giving yourself stories you have to keep remembering.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Truth does not need decoration to remain true.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“What is honest within can stand openly without fearing what the light will reveal.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Release the story that must be continually protected and return to what actually happened.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
Honesty can feel psychologically relieving because deception often requires ongoing mental and emotional effort.
A lie may need:
remembering,
defending,
modifying,
and protecting.
Truth reduces that burden.
Honesty also strengthens relationships when it is paired with:
respect,
responsibility,
empathy,
and appropriate boundaries.
The objective is not brutal disclosure.
The objective is truthful conduct.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with MORE VALUABLE THAN GOLD…A PERSON’S WORD.
Honesty is what gives a person’s word purchasing power.
It also connects with UNCLEAN HANDS…HOW YOU GO ABOUT GAIN MATTERS.
Clean conduct produces a cleaner conscience.
And SOMEONE CHEATED ME SECOND…THE CHEATER WAS FIRST reminds us that dishonesty damages the dishonest person before the full cost is even collected.
FINAL SAY
There is something healing about honesty.
TEST IT.
Tell the truth when a lie would be easier.
Admit the mistake.
Say:
I DON’T KNOW
when you don’t know.
Say:
I WAS WRONG
when you were wrong.
Say:
I NEED HELP
when you need help.
Say:
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED
and let reality enter the room.
You may still have consequences.
You may still have work ahead.
But now…
you are standing on something solid.
No hidden trap doors.
No second story to maintain.
No wondering what happens if somebody discovers the truth.
Honesty does not promise an effortless life.
It offers something better.
A life you do not have to hide from.
When somebody says:
“I want to be perfectly honest with you…”
listen carefully.
Something good may be trying to begin.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you