1. Make a commitment to tell the truth
2. Tell someone about your commitment.
I would have to make a commitment to myself to tell the truth at all times but I would fail because I'm even dishonest to myself how can I be truthful with others. I would tell my closest friends about my commitment but they know I would cave too.
3. Think before you give a dishonest answer, explanation, sarcasm, or reason.
I agree that people should really think about what they say before they give an answer. Especially sarcasm, because for example I could never tell when someone is being serious or if they're just being stupid and sarcastic.
4. Be careful of when and how you use exaggeration, sarcasm, or irony.
This is important because exaggeration, sarcasm, or irony can be taken the wrong way or offensively, which is why it is better to be truthful than to try and be funny sometimes. For example the other day at the fair we were at this restaurant and my friend Johnny's brother went to go say hi to my friend Sarai and she was like "I don't know you" in a very angry tone. He looked hurt and honestly I believed she was being serious but then she laughed and said she was just kidding so I never know when she's joking or not.
5. Be careful not to twist the truth or leave out part of it.
Well as much as I think this should completely be taken into consideration sometimes leaving out the truth is better for me. For example I don't like the feeling of having to tell a friend something that might hurt her I would rather her find out on her own or by someone else besides me. Or me on the other hand, sometimes I prefer lies than to hear the truth because it could leave me heartbroken.
7. Watch out for silent lies
I'm not sure I know what silent lies are. I think it's also kind of like how someone may be telling you something and they're leaving out the silent lies I feel like that's what it may be.
8. When you catch yourself lying, throw your mouth into reverse.
I wouldn't do a very good job at this tip because If i catch myself lying it's most likely I can't correct myself. For example if someone hurts my feelings and someone else asks if I'm okay I would lie and say I'm fine and that I don't care but in reality I'm just trying to hide my emotions because I don't want anyone to know that I care what people think or say about me and that deep down I feel hurt and I'm trying my hardest not to let the tears fall. That's why it is better for me to pretend like it doesn't bother me if someone puts me down which I've had to do pretty much my whole life so I've gotten used to it and much better at hiding it.
Treat yourself when you tell the truth
I'm always treating myself no matter what even when I am just telling the truth. I think rewarding yourself afterward is important so that in encourages you to tell the truth more often.
Reflection
My final thoughts on the ten tips for being more truthful is that these are all very useful tips to get better at telling the truth. They can benefit us all in many different ways to just mainly improve our honesty skills. A tip that I will be applying now is to think before I can give an honest answer and it is making a difference in my life because now I don't have to worry about whether what I said was right or wrong because I actually thought about it. I will totally incorporate the other tips into my life planning goals and plans with my personal life.
