Once you begin teaching your children the importance of being honest, it will help them take ownership of their words and actions. Imparting this value is undoubtedly a huge responsibility, but it can be carried out easily by telling your children why being honest is necessary in life. Let us take a look at the reasons that make this quality so essential to learn and imbibe.
10 Reasons Why It Is Important To Be Honest
Given below are the top 10 reasons that make honesty one of the most important values in life.
1. It forms the foundation of trust in relationships
Regardless of whether you're referring to a relationship with your parent(s), a companion, a relative, or your children, when you are straightforward and honest with that individual, they have motivation to trust you.
In a situation where they realize that you are an individual of trustworthiness, integrity and honesty, they will not have any doubts in their mind or question anything you do or say. They wouldn’t have to search for the fundamental intentions behind your activities. Due to your honesty, they will have complete faith in you and everything that you do.
The knowledge that you are an upstanding individual will give them the reassurance that you mean what you say, and that you would never resort to telling half-truths or concealing anything from them.
2. It reflects on your character and personality
Being an honest individual immediately makes people perceive you as a morally strong person. They begin to respect you and think of you as someone who will always seek truth and never hide behind lies or deceit. People will speak highly of your character and trust that even if you make mistakes, you will take responsibility for it and choose to improve. All of this will reflect on your personality and allow you to become a good human being.
3. It allows clarity in communication
In any situation that arises, if you choose to be honest, it will result in a better and clearer understanding of the circumstances. You will be able to truthfully convey your beliefs and thoughts, and this will remove any scope of misunderstandings or confusion from taking place.
While communicating with anyone, your honesty will provide better clarity and no one will have to second guess any hidden meanings or intentions behind your words.
4. It will make you more reliable
When honesty is ingrained in your character, people will find you to be more trustworthy and reliable. They will be confident that when you say “yes”, it means yes, and “no” means no. There is no gray area to find meanings behind your words. They will have the assurance that you will always honour your commitments and promises.
Others will rely on you because your honesty will be mirrored in your consistent straightforwardness and positive behaviour. This will culminate into other strong qualities like being disciplined, punctual and help you refrain from making excuses for anything in life.
5. It will allow others to be vulnerable around you
Once people know that despite the circumstances, your honesty will always shine through, they will feel comfortable enough to open up in front of you. They will be able to share their most intimate thoughts and feelings, and become vulnerable in your presence because they will have faith that your honesty will never turn into judgement.
This will strengthen your connection with the people around you because they will be their real selves in your company. In a world where everyone is wearing a mask, being your authentic self is the biggest reward and people around you will truly enjoy your honest response to their true vulnerabilities.
6. It shows respect and consideration for others
Dependable and trustworthy individuals value and promote open communication and comprehension. They realize that transparency in any verbal or non-verbal exchange is based on the concrete of trust and honesty. This is a sign of respect for everyone involved in the channel of communication. We can speak with others we trust, nearly without words. We can even commit errors while talking, and still find that they comprehend our actual intentions.
But if the level of trust is low, in any case, others may not accept even our most expressive words. To encourage trust, reliable individuals endeavor to share thoughts and reasoning for their views, perceptions and wants, while keeping appropriate regard for others' thoughts and viewpoints. This is because when trust is low, communication will become tedious and disrespect will be highlighted.
7. People keep you in high regard
In a nutshell, reliable individuals realize that trust is acquired by actions and conduct rather than just words and thoughts. Their every day directness gives proof of their expectation to be straightforward, dependable, faithful, impartial, modest, responsible, agreeable, just and open. In any situation, in case dependability and high moral character is to be developed, even more honesty and integrity is required. Your conduct should be spurred by confiding truthfully in others, notwithstanding the craving to be trusted by them. Trust is a two-way road. To arrive at its most noteworthy potential, it should permit communication from both sides. This will ensure that people view you as a good and moral individual, and hold a high opinion of you.
8. It increases your self-esteem
The fact that you are an honest person will not only help you maintain good relationships with others, but it will also impact the relationship and regard you hold for yourself. Honesty has a positive impact on our mental health, and helps in making one feel good about their own selves. It will definitely make you view yourself as a good and accountable individual, which will increase your liking for your own qualities and personality.
The knowledge that people like you for your authenticity and straightforwardness will increase your self-esteem by leaps and bounds. When people begin to rely on you, confide in you and show you their vulnerable side, it is truly the beginning of a deep connection with others and gives you the feeling of empowerment and satisfaction in any relationship. All the people who matter in your life will love you for who you are, and will always know that you will give them the absolute truth.
9. It keeps any form of toxicity away
People who lean towards lying and manipulation would always stay away from honest people. They seek concealment and dishonesty, so they will always steer clear of people with integrity. This will help you connect with real and good people, instead of making any associations with toxic individuals.
10. It helps you lead a simple life
Being truthful and honest forms the basis of a simple life. If you don’t lie at all, there is no compelling reason to recollect what you lied about and to whom. You can be sure that you have said what was valid (at any rate, according to your point of view) at the time you said it. This is a huge sigh of relief as you will save yourself from overthinking and lead a carefree life.
However, this simple life does not come easy. Being straightforward isn't always simple. Truth be told, it can frequently be troublesome and awkward when you are telling somebody something they might not have any desire to hear. But since there is no vagueness in your message, there is little scope for miscommunication and will help you avoid any complexities later on.
These reasons highlight the significance of being honest in life. You can teach your children this quality by following some tips listed below.
1. Reward their honesty and truth
As parents, you should understand the impact of your approval and appreciation. You should always try and commend your child whenever they tell you the truth. Award their honesty with heaps of love and affection. It will be a source of reinforcement and assurance for your children. They will accept this support for their positive conduct and make sure that they continue sharing the truth. Additionally, a youngster can never get enough of affection and would truly relish in it.
2. Talk the Truth
Show your children that they don't need to offer fake compliments or say things just to please others. On the off chance that they don't have a kind word to say, show them how to control their words and remain silent. Be that as it may, you generally ought to have the option to discover something positive to say about anybody.
3. Share your true feelings, even if it’s hard
Maintaining ethics is a higher priority than trying not to offend someone who is off the mark. Wrong is never right. For example, your child's dearest companion is cheating in tests and your child is completely aware. He has an obligation to go to his companion and encourage him to stop. This may seem like something that will affect the friendship, but it’s for everyone’s good. You should always encourage your child to stand up for what’s right, because truth holds the most value.
4. Become a role model for honesty
At the point when we start lying, it prompts a propensity for telling large ones. To imbibe honesty and integrity in your children, you have to become a good example. You don't need your youngster to hear you lying. Live and lead by example. In a situation where your kids see you telling even "white” harmless exaggerations, they will feel like it's alright to lie too. At the point when we start lying for small things, it prompts a propensity for telling enormous lies. Make sure that you are consistently being honest and make a habit of coming clean with the truth.
5. Try not to Put Them to the Test
However enticing it is to test them, try not to pose inquiries that allow your child an opportunity to not be straightforward. You saw that your little girl spilled red juice on the floor. No compelling reason to inquire, "Did you simply spill your juice?" This persuades she may have an exit plan and could pass fault somewhere else. Simply advise her to tidy it up. She'll have enough freedom to come clean.
6. Give Consequences
We all commit mistakes. Similarly, even kids do. They will mislead you to save themselves from being scolded and you will ultimately catch them lying. It's significant that there be ramifications for their activities, which is how you teach them the correct behaviour. Proper discipline has to be encouraged and carried out. Make sure that you create an open conversational space so that there is no need for your child to resort to lying.
7. Correct Mistakes
Finding your children in a situation where they are lying is an incredible chance to educate them. Inquire as to why they felt like they expected to lie. Clarify how lying harms connections since it causes doubt and trust is truly challenging to acquire thereafter. Converse with them about what they might have done any other way.
8. Keep Your Promises
Assuming your needs to confide in you and come clean, you must stay faithful to your obligations and not carry out any negative punishments or reactions. Train your kids to be individuals who hold accountability and keep their word. At the point when they make promises, they should not break it. The most ideal approach to show this is by demonstrating it yourself.
9. Take Care Of Other People's Things
Personal belongings can create a wide range of issues. The best way to handle this is to show your child from the beginning that what they have has a place with them and belongs to them. What others have has a place with that individual and is their possession. It isn't OK to get something and never bring it back. It's amazing to share, however the thing must consistently be returned. This is the basis of honesty and truth.
10. Discover Honest Friends
“Show me your companions and I will show you your future.” In case your youngster's companions constantly resort to untruth and cheating, so will they. Yet, in case your kid's companions are upstanding and genuine, your child or little girl will be greatly improved. Listen up for any of your kids' companions who lie. Make sure that your kid has a good impact on their friends and make sure they don’t change themselves along with their friends.
