Tag Archives: honesty

Have You Lied to Yourself?

Have you ever lied to yourself? That’s what I realized I had been doing all day yesterday. I woke with a sore throat and clogged head but I was determined to go to singing practice. Having missed the last few weeks I desperately wanted to be there so I could help lead the singing at church on Sunday. I took the required tablet. ‘I’m fine,’ I told myself. I perpetuated the lie later in the afternoon though I started feeling worse. As we were having dinner, the rain came- driving, pelting rain. Common sense insisted it was stupidity to go … Continue reading →

Honest Words from a Friend

Yesterday we looked at adverse effects of gossip on a friendship. To have one’s confidences shared with others amounts to nothing less than betrayal. It hurts when a friend betrays us. Whether in word or actions King David knew betrayal by a friend. Psalm 41:9 echoes his despair at that betrayal. Jesus also knew the pain of being betrayed by a friend, John 13:8, Matthew 26:48-50. Jesus told his disciples and he tells usthat we are friends if we do what He commands John 15:14. It made me think that Jesus must feel betrayed again each time we choose to … Continue reading →

How to Make Friends- part 2

In my last blog I said,’friends listen to my joys and problems and I listen to theirs and support them in prayer. It’s reciprocal.’ Reciprocal On that subject, sometimes it’s happened where I have met someone, we have a common interest and I think in time we could be good friends, but it never happened. We stay at an acquaintance level that never grows into friendship. Why? It could be that person is not looking to make more friends. Perhaps they have enough friends in their lives. Or perhaps there is something in my personality that grates on them? Or … Continue reading →

Negotiate with Principles

Negotiation is not just about winning or losing. It might seem as though the only goal of business negotiations should be to win and get the other party to see things your way, but there is another way of approaching things. If you maintain principles and look for ways to create a win-win negotiation, you will not only be making the other party happy, but you will also be building lasting relationships and establishing a reputation for honesty and integrity (not to mention you will just feel better about yourself!) So, what does it actually mean to negotiate with principles? … Continue reading →

Lying and Your Home Business

Teeny lies, little white lies, and big whoppers–do lies have a place in business? Well, pick up any newspaper and read any business section and you would think that lies and business go hand-in-hand. But, what about in your small, home-based business? Will telling even the smallest lies help or hurt your business overall (not to mention, how will they affect your karma?). When you read those business articles and reports on CEOs who seem to get away with murder, not to mention plenty of lies along the way, it can start to seem like lies are just as much … Continue reading →

Are Little Fibs Harmless?

Granted, I will admit that a relationship should be built on trust and honesty. However, do you ever tell your spouse little fibs? Do you think your spouse ever fibs to you? The fibs that I am talking about really carry no significance other than the fact that you are being lied to! They are the little fibs that I know some spouses tell just to appease the other. I feel that men are much more guilty of these avoidance fibs than women. The ones I am referring to are those little fibs that the husband tells when he says … Continue reading →

Is Hypocrisy Holding You Back?

What do you stand for? What are your belief systems, values, and personal motivations? As a mom, I have found that my kids are great critics of whether or not I am being true to my convictions and whether or not my actions and my declared beliefs match. I think single parents can be especially susceptible to hypocrisy as we might be trying so hard to look like “other families” or appear as we think a socially sanctioned “normal” family appears, that we are not really being honest and true to our own inner guidance. My kids are great gauges … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: Integrity

Lesson #12 in the Spencer W. Kimball manual for this year’s course of study is entitled “Integrity.” President Kimball was, himself, a wonderful example of this most necessary trait. Marion G. Romney is quoted as saying: “Throughout the years he has been a pattern of integrity. No one doubts that he would discharge the sacred trust the Lord has placed upon him at the peril of his life . . . How glorious, men of the priesthood, it would be if all of us possessed the integrity of a President Kimball.” As we head into the body of the lesson, … Continue reading →

Under Promise, and Over-Deliver—For Parents

You have likely heard the phrase of advice “under promise and over-deliver” when it comes to work and business. The idea being that if you promise too much to a customer or client, and then are not able to fulfill your promise—you come off looking much worse than if you under promise in the first place, and then exceed expectations. I think this advice can be applied to parenting as well, and can be very sound advice indeed… I don’t know about your kids—but mine had memories like steel traps when it came to anything I said or did. Not … Continue reading →

When the Other Parent Isn’t Coming

While some of us single parents share custody and have to constantly work out co-parenting agreements and arrangements with our child’s other parent, there are also those of us who really are solely alone. The other parent doesn’t factor at all in our child’s life—except as a fantasy figure to be contended with. What is a parent to do when the other parent is NOT going to be involved and is NOT coming? How do you explain to a child who is holding out hope of a “rescue” that his or her parent is not on the way? I have … Continue reading →