Founder and President
of The Etiquette Factory,
a unique 3-phase etiquette learning system designed to change the world, one child at a time.
Our children… oh how we love them! We want so much for them. But, if you’re like me, what we want more than anything else is: we want them to be good people. I guess there are different opinions about what makes someone “good” — however, I think we could all agree on a few characteristics that would increase their probability of happiness and success such as: honesty, integrity, compassion, a strong work ethic, courage, humility, reliability, optimism, responsibility and politeness. These are skills that we each should continually strive to improve.
Join us over the next couple of months as we discuss the 10 character traits of a true lady and a true gentleman.
Let’s start by talking about honesty.
It’s difficult to move forward in our lives, in our relationships, in our businesses, if those around us, do not trust us. So what is honesty? Well, it’s much more than just not telling a lie. It is being completely and utterly honest in all things, in all places and in all situations, regardless of the cost. Of course, it means we do not tell a lie, but it also means: we do not exaggerate, leave out certain details of a story or event to get our point across more effectively. It means we do not take advantage of another’s naivety. It means we are not evasive, we keep our word and we do what we say we will do.
Personally, I believe it’s difficult to live a 100% honest life. No, not because I have any desire to be dishonest, but sometimes, we find ourselves in situations where our reputation is at risk, or we have overcommitted ourselves, or even we may simply be trying to save our job, our marriage, or something else of value and telling the truth, might put those things at risk. This is when the true test comes. Parents, let me be clear. There is no way we are going to raise honest, trustworthy children if they do not see us living this important character trait.
Praise honesty with your children. Help them to identify the feelings that they have when they are less than honest. Show understanding for the difficulty that being honest can be. Be honest in all things and watch your children develop a love of honesty.
Let’s remember that it is very difficult to be perfect at most things. It’s wise to remind our children that when we do make a mistake, a lady and a gentleman are quick to apologize, quick to admit wrong and quick to seek to make things right. May we never stop trying to improve ourselves, every day, making better choices than yesterday.
thank you, Monica. I agree with your article. I would definitely put honesty as the first thing on a top ten list of important character traits. without this, the other things can’t function correctly. this must be the foundation character on which one builds.