FINALLY: The secret to a fulfilling life. It's not just that freedom that comes with knowing the truth. Nor is it just more money, nor to have more time. It's not even in having outstanding relationships - although all these are indeed important.

A fulfilling life is deceptively simple: - to achieve what you really want. Although there are probably many areas that need attention, this is a very good place to start. Find out why...

Freedom Comes with Knowing the Truth

The spring flowers are world famous, justifiably, in South Africa's Western Cape. Seeing the desert bloom in the hot and usually dry landscape is a sight for sore eyes, a treat I like to indulge in when possible.

Several years ago, Judy and I had agreed to drive up the coast to appreciate nature's remarkable abundance. The weather was lovely that weekend - as were the flowers. We'd timed the trip to perfection and I was looking forward to enjoying the beauty of the Western Cape spring.

Yet when Saturday came, she'd made other plans. If she'd let me know as soon as she knew she would no longer be available, I could have gone with someone else. I felt let down, disappointed. I'd allowed myself to be vulnerable.

An interesting question to contemplate is,


Would we all benefit? Would the world be a better place if we all told the truth? And does that mean telling the truth at all times?

What does "telling the truth at all times" even mean? Let's get some clarity on this important subject, and explore the five levels of truth-telling.

#1 - Tell the truth to yourself about yourself

'I'll fix the broken gate this weekend,' I said to my partner once - and that time I even meant it. Then what came up? Distractions. Saturday morning shopping, a game in the afternoon and Saturday was gone. 'Oh well, I'll do it tomorrow,' I told myself.

Sunday morning we got up late and some friends called for brunch. After lunch, a walk on the mountain seemed far more attractive, it was a gorgeous day. When the walk was over I wasn't in the mood, and anyway it was far too late. Despite my good intentions, on Sunday evening the gate was still not fixed.

When you don't tell the truth, you are deceiving someone. In this case - myself, as well as my long-suffering partner. When the muscle of your will is not exercised, it becomes flabby. And with no power, your word is not much help to you in creating your future!

So be very careful what you promise yourself. The only way to have your word mean anything is to keep your word. Always! Start by making small easily-kept promises, and then ensure you keep them.

#2 - Tell the truth to yourself about another

Sandy used to say 'My husband really loves me' even though Peter came home late most nights. Yet the actual reason was not that he didn't love her, but because he just didn't know how to relate to the kids - or to her.

Now the truth can hurt, so Sandy didn't want to find out the truth. She thought it would be too painful, and preferred to deceive herself.

Yet would she have benefited by facing the truth? The decisions she was making would affect the whole family.

Which would give a better future for all concerned? For her to come to a mistaken conclusion in her ignorance or, no matter how painful, for her to know the truth?

#3 - Tell the truth to another about yourself

There was a bar in Toronto, Canada many years ago, called 'The Office,' so people could deceive their spouses while ostensibly telling the truth. Yet 'I'm still at the Office' is still untrue - deception, even though the words may be accurate.

One time I insisted to my ex-wife, Luiza, that things were "fine." Things were not fine, we'd had a row and I wasn't talking to her although she wanted to be friends with me. So I denied what I was really feeling, and closed off communication with the person I really cared about and loved.

Did this help? Absolutely not. Now I can't even remember what the argument was about. But we are no longer together. Although I am pleased to be able to say we are still friends.

Opening up can be scary, it means willing to be vulnerable. And now I'm pleased to find the more I open up to others, the more others open up to me. I'm finding that allowing myself to be vulnerable helps me to communicate better.

#4 - Tell the truth to another about him/herself

One time I invited James to play Cash Flow 101, Robert Kiyosaki's introductory game for Financial Intelligence. James is rather a scatter brain, although he likes to think of himself as a fast, effective decision-maker. So he takes short cuts. His game card did not audit on four occasions, and each time we had to find the problem before we could continue.

Telling the truth to him about himself - that more haste gives less speed - was difficult. Fortunately he accepted the truth gracefully, and was willing to grow from the experience. Was it easy for him to do this? Yet was it beneficial?

#5 - Tell the truth to everyone about everything

Telling the truth to everyone about everything has many advantages:

• It's a lot easier to remember what you said when you only tell the truth
  

• If people check up on what you said, they will always find that you told the truth. So they see you as honest and reliable.
  

• When you have a reputation for always telling the truth, then people are far more likely to believe you
  

• One untruth leads to another. An untruth, once told, then requires another one down the road to back it up. And eventually you can become so lost in a web of lies that you can't even remember what is true and what is not
  

A well known proverb is that:


If you're not trying to fool people then this problem just doesn't exist.

When we do not tell the truth, then we deceive. Either ourselves - or others. No matter where we are going, or where we want to get to, deception will impede us in getting there.

Whether it's deception about where we are now, deception about where we want to get to, or deception about what needs to be done in order to get there - it's still deceiving. To know the truth we have to tell the truth, only then can it work its magic - and set us free.

These five levels of truth-telling come from the amazing seminal work of Neale Donald Walsch.

Do as I say...

One day a woman came to her spiritual master with her little boy. The sugar the boy was eating was causing him health problems. She explained the situation carefully to her guru and asked him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. 'He'll listen to you,' explained the mother. The master nodded wisely, and asked the woman to return in a month's time.

A month later, the woman returned, sat down with the master, and he listened to her story again. This time he explained the problems in eating sugar to her son, and told him about the benefits of giving up sugar. The boy listened carefully, and agreed to stop.

The woman thanked the master, and then asked to speak to him privately. 'I appreciate you telling him to stop, but it's a long way to come. Why did you make me come back again, rather than tell him to stop a month ago?' she asked.

The master smiled, 'A month ago, I was eating sugar.'


We all laugh at:


Yet many a true word is spoken in jest. Would your world be a better place whenever you told the truth. And does that imply you should tell the truth at all times?

The Dilemma

There's a temptation to think that misleading others will not end up by also misleading you in the long run.

Yet have you noticed how one lie leads to another lie, and then to yet another. Telling the truth always makes life more simple, there's less to remember!

You may pretend that you're sparing someone from the truth, as you rationalize the lies you tell them. After all, it's for their own good - you're saving them from unpleasantness - which makes you a hero. But to rationalize means to tell Rational Lies!

Any decisions they make on untruths you tell them will not only mislead them, they'll inevitably lead to less trust in what you say. You're teaching them to mistrust you. Which may not be what you want.

At Life Strategies, you will learn how to work with these empowering distinctions, how to achieve what you really want to achieve, and not to end up with what you don't want. Learning how and why the truth will set you free is an important step toward this.

Yet if this wasn't already abundantly clear to you, then self-sabotage has probably stopped you reaching this conclusion!

But I Know All This, some say

Some believe they know all this. But if what you know is not bringing you the results you want then you do NOT know that the truth will set you free. Free means you have the freedom to achieve any and all goals you really desire. You can't fool the universe, the proof of validity lies in your current circumstances.

Much of the human race lives in denial. And this doesn't mean on the river in Egypt! We say we want:

• to care for the Earth, yet we chop down her rain-forests and plunder her resources as unlimited
  
  
• a society free of rage and violence, then we entertain ourselves - and our children - with TV programs of graphic rage and violence
  

• our young ones to be responsible, yet our school "Zero-Tolerance" laws take that responsibility away by mandating totally disproportionate responses
  

• the truth, yet we follow Adolf Hitler's strategy of lying whenever we think it expedient. After all - doesn't The End Justify The Means?
  

Do any of these strategies work to give us the outcomes that we desire? Isn't there sufficient evidence of their inevitable consequences right in front of our eyes?

If you are not experiencing the results you genuinely want, then you cannot really know "All This." Your experience will change when you have changed.

If any of this speaks to your heart, then you know that truth has its own beauty. The elegance of truth gladdens the heart. If you continue exploring these truths, they will bring amazing joy into your life.

The difference between just knowing about, and authentic knowing, is a crucial distinction which makes a world of difference, one which self-sabotage has obviously been keeping from you.

Stop your Self-Sabotage

Achieving what you really want means learning how to overcome your self-sabotage mechanism. Everyone has one, and it operates all the time.

The self-sabotage mechanism generally operates through context, not through content. What's the difference?

• your context is where you come from when you do what you do
  
  
• your content is what you do, how you handle your affairs
  

So learn to manage your context, and stop your self-sabotage. Find out how to do what works, and not do what doesn't work for you. Do more with less! Invest to learn how you can achieve more while saving both time and energy with this ground-breaking, twenty-first century, e-book program and action plan.

Why Invest in Improving Your Capabilities?

An investment has a return, and your return in stopping your self-sabotage is enormous. There's no bigger return than in improving your capabilities, in becoming more effective. Life Strategies clients experience becoming at least 20% more effective, and one client recently reported an increase of ninety percent after just one year.

In the long run, your increase in effectiveness will increase your earnings by at least the same amount. And the increase is permanent. As Benjamin Franklin famously observed,


How much will a twenty percent increase in earnings amount to in dollars over the rest of your life?

Work this out right now! Don't allow yourself to self-sabotage, take the time to answer to this crucial question this very moment - it'll change your life!

The result of your calculations will prove to you beyond doubt that your increase in earnings will pay for your investment in yourself many, many times over.

Yet, just like heat from a fire, results always take a little time and effort. You first have to buy the logs, then you need to put some kindling in the stove before putting in the wood. Only then can you light and look after the fire, which after a small delay will give you heat.

Enjoy a big 25% discount - as well as some very special bonuses - if you act today. There is no better way to improve your income than by stopping your self-sabotage with...

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Food for Thought