If you’ve read these Reflections before, you know I like to try new things. I want to start this week off a little different than normal. It’s Monday, and since we have the whole week ahead of us, I figured it would be fun to start a little challenge.
For the next 7 days, don’t lie. Most of you are probably saying, “I never lie,” but I’ll bet that’s not true. I’ve been attempting to do this the past few weeks and let me tell you, it’s not easy. It’s not the big ones that are the problem - they come out quickly. It’s the small, little lies that are most insidious.
It’s the excuse you tell your boss as to why you didn’t make the deadline.
It’s the “I’ll be there in 10 minutes” text and showing up an hour later.
It’s the confirmation to attend the party in two weeks you know you’re not going to.
It’s the promise to yourself to wake up at 6 a.m. and rolling out of bed at 8 a.m.
The list is endless. If you pay close attention to what’s actually coming out of your mouth, I think you’ll realize (like I did) how often you don’t keep your word, or bend the truth for your benefit. This doesn’t make you a bad person - pretty much everybody does this - but it certainly provides room for improvement.
Why is the truth so important? A steadfast alignment with the truth starts opening up new realities. We’re back to the Butterfly Effect - every choice we make echoes into the future, creating more choices. When our choices are aligned with truth, life starts to align with what we actually need. This often times isn’t what we think we want - it’s so much easier to lie to the boss, to send the quick comforting text, to say “yes” to make someone feel better in the moment and to say “fuck it” to our word to ourselves. You’d be surprised at what’s waiting for you on the other side of these temporary “fixes”.
I’ve been doing this only a few weeks, and I’ve started a brand, gotten into the best shape of my life, saved a relationship and created a new future for myself. I don’t believe this is a coincidence. It certainly has not been all sunshine and rainbows - the truth can be really hard sometimes, but without fail the process has pushed me to the places I know I need to go.
Give it a go. Don’t lie for the next 7 days. Commit to that intention and live it. Pay attention to what comes up, and notice how easy it is to fall back into lying. Hopefully by the end of 7 days, you’ll learn something about yourself. Who knows? It might just change your life.