Ten Tips for Being more truthful

The Ten Tips

1. Make a commitment to tell the truth.
2. Tell someone about your commitment.
3. Think before you give a dishonest answer, explanation, sarcasm, or reason.
4. Be careful of when and how you use exaggeration, sarcasm, or irony.
5. Be careful not to twist the truth or leave out part of it.
6. Don't indulge in little white lies.
7. Watch out for silent lies.
8. When you catch yourself lying, throw your mouth into reverse.
9. Talk to yourself.
10. Treat yourself when you tell the truth.

The ten tips for being more truthful can benefit me in many different ways. It can help me become a better person and a trusting one as well. It will help me not say any lies because it will make me think before giving a dishonest answer. I well know to never leave out information or to try to twist the things around. Look out for those silent lies you have, and when you know you are about to tell a lie,stop think and go back. DO NOT SAY IT. Tell yourself that you will always tell the truth and you can tell other people as well. When you say the truth, be happy and treat yourself because that is something big. It makes people trust you and want to be your friends because they will know you will never lie to them. 

Spring Break summary

My break was pretty good. Most of the days I slept till like 12 which was good. The first weekend I went to the fair with my cousin and my friends. and then on sunday I worked from 10 to 7 which I didn't enjoy at all. Then the week I took care of my little sister while my dad and mom were at work. I had a lot of homework to do over the break and thank god I started on it early on the week or else I wouldn't of had finished. I had to do two essays. One of the essays was for kopataich and english one about the book 1984. The second essay was about climate change for my physics class. Both were very challenging for me but I was able to complete them. I also had homework for my algebra 2 class. That was very difficult, I couldn't understand it. I also had to do some senior defense things because Im not done with mine and time is going by fast. I didn't do anything else during my break I just wanted to relax and be home and watch t.v.
 

summary.

In the video of the highschool teens, the girl who probably didn't study for test is asking the girl who put all her effort into studying to give her the answer to question 4. They both are friends which makes it hard for the girl to say no to her friend but she did. She didn't give her the answer because she knew it was wrong to do so. Being honest also means to not cheat in your school work. If you did not study then take full responsibility for it. In the second video we have a couple of students in medical school who are taking a very important test. Like in every test some studied and some didn't. As soon as the teacher walked out the room those who did not study started to bring out papers with answer and notes on it. One guy got mad because like they said, "it is hard to compete with a cheater." He told them all that who ever he saw with the paper he was going to tell the professor on them. He didnt care if he was hated after this but he wanted everyone to do what was right. 

The Pyramid of Success

By John Wooden 

Block 1:  Industriousness
"In plain and simple English this means hard work. Very hard work. There is no substitute for very hard work when it comes to success."
Those who do very hard work they will achieve what they want. There is no other way to get what you want. No one else is going to do it for you. You have to grow up and work hard for it. No matter how hard it might seem keep working hard. You might not want to do the hard work but it will pay off. Work hard while studying and you will receive that perfect score you have always wanted. If you don’t work hard then you get what you deserve. Put no effort into the work then you will not reach success ever. If you work hard you prove to people that you actually want to complete something. If you don’t then they will know you don’t really want it. When someone wants something they will do anything for it. 

I will apply this to the way I do homework; I will work harder to get it done better to earn a better grade.
“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally.”

Block 2: Enthusiasm
"It is the engine that powers all blocks of the Pyramid. It is why I chose Industriousness and Enthusiasm as the cornerstones of my Pyramid of Success. It is where everything begins."
    Enthusiasm means that you love what it is you are doing. Means you are not doing the work because they force you. You are the one that shows interest into the work. You can’t do something with a bad attitude because it will come out wrong. If you are doing something you don’t like it is a for sure thing that it won’t come out as expected. When someone does something without loving what they are doing no effort is put into the work. When you love it everything comes out good or even better. You feel good about yourself and about the work you have completed. Even when you don’t like what you are put to do give it a try. Have an open mind, you might end up enjoying it and will like it. Not just because it’s different or looks hard you should not do it.

I will apply this to my life specially when doing homework for math class. I really don’t enjoy doing the work but I have to give it a try. It seems really hard but after practicing for a while you will get it and you will love it. !

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Block 3: Friendship

"Comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort."
     Friendship is not meant for everyone, not everyone can have a good and long friendship. Most people take for granted the things the friends do for them, and realize it when it’s too late. They think the person will be there for them even when they treat them bad. After being treated bad people get tired and they don’t feel good about themselves so they walk away. You need always be kind and give as much as they give you. You need to respect one other in order for the things to work out. Both of you need to be devoted and not mess around with your friendship. It all has to be mutual though, you can’t be the only one putting effort. In order for your friendship to be good it needs effort from both parts. Always help each other out. Cheer the person up when they need some fun. Don’t let little things come in between you both, you guys should have a very strong bond that can’t break. Having good friends is always the best. 

  I will apply this to my life when it comes down to my friendships. I will show respect and I won’t take it for granted. I will put all of my efforts.

        “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.” 

Block 4: Loyalty
"To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect.
    Loyalty means being true to yourself and to the people around you. Meaning you won’t lie or disrespect anyone in anyone. Always keep your word, so they can trust you. If you say you are going to do something then you should do it. If they trust you with private things don’t tell other people. That’s how rumors get spread and they hurt the person. Be with the person through thick and thin. Even when things are going bad stand next to them. See if they need help with anything or just need someone to listen. Even when they are not around you should be loyal to the. Just because they rent around doesn’t mean you can say or do bad things about them. That wouldn’t be loyal of you because that’s disrespecting the trust they have gave you. 

  I will apply this to my life, when it comes to friends and even siblings, I will be loyal to the at all times, even when they are not around.
  “I think a good friend, to me, is all about trust and loyalty. You don't ever want to second-guess whether you can tell your friend something.”

Block 5: Cooperation
"With all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way. "
    Cooperation is something everyone should learn to do. Without cooperation the things you do won’t come out the right way. Something will always go wrong because you didn’t cooperate. If you do not cooperate in the work you probably won’t finish on time and it will not have all of your effort. Cooperate with the people in your group. Do not let one person do all of the work, if you don’t understand something feel free to ask for help. Be willing to pay attention to the other people ideas. Be on task and don’t go off topic, because that’s a distraction. No one will want to work with you if you don’t cooperate. You have to learn to listen and follow directions. Put in work and always try your best to get the best resolution. I will apply this to my life, when working on group projects or when the teacher asks me to get something done. I will cooperate to the fullest and I will always try my best to find the best way.

    “Honor bespeaks worth. Confidence begets trust. Service brings satisfaction. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership.”

Block 6: Ambition
for noble goals
    without any ambitions you will not achieve your goal. Ambition is more of what you do in order to obtain something. Without you doing anything then you will never get what you want.  Ambitions come with motivation and determination. Ambition describes those who reach their goals because of their inner desire to do so. Ambition alone is not the key to success it is very important. You must also have the goals set and the energy to accomplish them. Someone who has a lot of energy but zero goals will always find themselves going for an opportunity after another with no success. They will constantly wonder what it is they want in life. On the other hand someone with goals but no energy will not achieve what they want. They will want to reach success but they are too lazy to do the work and try hard. They sometimes also start a new project but when the work gets difficult they will quit because “they can’t do it.” 

   I can apply this to my life, when wanting a better grade in a classwork or homework. If I really want that A then I must work hard for it and not give up.
       “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

Block 7: Self-Control
"Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgement and common sense are essential."
    Self-control is very hard to have especially when you have things that cause you to not be in controlled. Being able to control your emotion is very hard. You might want to say something to someone but you know you can’t so you need to hold back. Self-control helps you control yourself and achieve long term goals. Over reacting can cause you a lot of trouble. When you don’t have self- control you act and say things u don’t mean. You need to learn to do what is more important first. Control yourself when you have to decide whether to go to a party or study. When doing your work do not get distracted with other things. Things like people talking or your cellphone. Learn to control that feeling you get of wanting to use your phone. Have control of your priorities what has to be done first and what will help you become someone better.
I can apply this to my life in several ways, one is controlling my emotions. Sometimes it is hard to control one’s emotion but we all have to try. 

Block 8: Alertness
"Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn and improve."
     Being open-minded is a great thing. You get exposed to new ideas every time, things that get benefit yourself. You get a different point of view on the new things you learn. Maybe you had one way of doing something but they showed you a better way. Wanting to learn new things is always good because you experience new thing. Always look at what other people are doing, not because you want to do it better.  Just because you are good at something that doesn’t mean you can’t get better. There will always be a place where you can improve yourself. Never think you are the best and that you got it all perfect. Be humble! Always be excited to learn things, even if they are repeated stuff because something new might come along this time. Those that think they don’t need to improve are wrong; someone who is more prepared will come along. Everyone always has to improve themselves even if they are already good. 

Block 9: Initiative
"Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it."
    Initiative is when you are able to start something on your own. Means you think alone, and don’t let someone come between it. You are able to make good decisions. Don’t be scared of doing it wrong you will learn from it. Be the first one to come up with ideas. Learn new things but think of ways to improve them and make them better. Look for those who need help and help them out. Don’t just leave you classmates without understanding just because you want to be better. Be the first to volunteer for those projects that are hard. When no one wants to do the job you go ahead and do it. Think ahead of everyone else. Don not stays quiet because you think others won’t like your ideas. Deal with the problems right away; do not wait till later to do so. Time is the only thing you can’t get back so you need to work on things fast.

    I can apply this when being in a class room and teacher asks someone to do something and no one wants to. I’ll be the first to volunteer.
    “Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves - and be free.” 

    

Block 10: Intentness
"Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations.  Be determined and persistent."
   Intentness is a good way to get your work done efficiently. This means that you are focused on what you are doing. Nothing is distracting you from your goal. You have your goal set and no one will stop you. Don’t let new temptations come in your way. The temptation will not be good for your work habits. You’ll get distracted by things that are not as important as you think they are. Don’t set goals that are not realistic. Not trying to put you down or anything but come one, you got to be realistic. Sometimes you know a goal is not possible. But still do not settle for less. Be determined to accomplish something, have the faith that you will. Work hard towards the goal. No matter how long it takes for you to get there, do not give up!

..I can apply this to my life, when working on a certain goal that I have set for myself. I need to be determined and persistent when working towards the goals.
   “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else you are the one who gets burned.”

Block 11: Sincerity
 Keeps friends
    Making friends is easy but to keep them around for a while is not so easy. In order to do so you need to be truthful with them. Never lie to never about anything. That way they know that they can always trust you with things. You do not want to be friends with someone who you cannot trust. Not just with your friends but also with teachers, your parents, coworkers and so on.  Your parents need to know that they can trust you. When your parents tell you to do something do as they say. Even teachers, have to trust you. You need to gain that trust by always being honest with them. You do not want to be the kid that the teacher does not trust because she has caught you lying. Even maybe the teacher has caught you cheating that will make her doubt you so bad. Always be straight forward with the people around you, because they will always want to know the truth even though they might not like it. Once you lie to them once you will probably never gain their trust back. 

   “Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength.” 

Block 12: Adaptability
To any situation
      New things always come your way and you need to face them. Being able to adapt to something new is good. Not everything will remain the same forever. When you can’t adapt to something you have a hard time finding your way through it. Having adaptability means you get used to things very easily. You do not struggle understanding something new. Is like the teachers do not all teach the same. They all teach in different ways but you must adapt to them. People who are adaptable see opportunity where other people see failure. To adapt means to grow and to change. Adaptable people are resourceful. They have multiple plans in case one won’t work. It is like if plan A fails they have a plan B ready to go. 

       “I don't think of myself as unbreakable. Perhaps I'm just rather flexible and adaptable.”

Block 13: Condition
"Mental-Moral-Physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated."
  Taking time out to rest is a great way to be healthy. Not just your body but also your mind needs to rest. Sleep the hours that you need to sleep in order to function properly. Distract yourself from your phone. Being on your phone 24/7 is not healthy it is a waste of time. Also exercise whenever you have the opportunity to do so. It is very important for your body and also your brain. It will keep your body healthy and that means you will have a lot of energy. The energy you need to perform well in work. Have a good diet. Do not eat junk food all the time. Eat healthy food that provides nutrients to your body and make you smarter. Eat junk food makes you lazy and not want to do your responsibilities.

    "Democratic principles are the result of equality of condition."

Block 14: Skill
"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail."
   It is not true when they say that some of us lack “skill”. Some just know how to show it off better than others. Having skill means you are able to work and do something the correct way. Maybe not completing right but you get the hang of it. We don’t all know the same exact thing that everyone does. We might come across people who know many more things that we do. It is always good to learn from them. Be willing to learn new things. Teach them what you are able to accomplish and you guys can make a great team. You will figure out new things and will now know more than you did before. Make your skills grow more and more every time. You can always learn new skills and preform them better than what they taught you. 

  “Skill is the unified force of experience, intellect and passion in their operation.”

Block 15:  Team Spirit
"A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all."
    Everyone needs to learn how to work with others. You can’t always work alone, you need teammates. When it comes down to projects you need to all work together. If only one person is doing the work the project won’t be as good. Everyone needs to put a bit of their knowledge into the work. Do not put someone down just because you didn’t like their idea. Listen to what they have to say and then you guys can make arrangements. It is not just in school work also when you are in a sports team. You can’t go around acting like you are the only one playing. You need to communicate with your teammates. As a team you all have to work together and make it a better game. With just one person puts in all of the effort it won’t be a good game. 

     “Team spirit spurs me on. I've always found it easier to be strong for other people than for myself.”

Block 16: Honesty
In thought and action
   Honesty is very important for everyone to understand and do. If you’re not honest with yourself and to other people no one will trust you. When you do something wrong, you need to say the truth. You might get in trouble or so but lying is worse. When you lie that means you are not responsible for you actions. Everyone will lose the trust they had in you. They will never believe you again because you lied to them once. When you are not honest, you are only hurting yourself. Your friends will no longer want to be with you because you lie. Being honest is not just about lying, also about keeping your word and not cheating. When you make a promise do not break it, keep your word. No one is going to like it if you keep on breaking your promises. Do not cheat, if you cheat you are not being honest. You are getting answers from someone who probably studied really hard for the test. 

         “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Block 17: Resourcefulness
Proper judgement
   Resourceful means you are able to find good ways to overcome difficulties. To be resourcefulness you need to have an open mind, having an open mind means that you are open to new ideas. You try to include everyone’s ideas so they won’t feel left out. Be creative come up with ideas that have a lot of creativity in them. Something that no one would ever think you could do. Let your mind think outside of the box and not just in the regular things. Do not put your dreams on hold. Do not stop doing something because you are waiting on something else. Also, be persistent do not stop trying when the things gets rough. Always keep going because if you stop half way you don’t know what’s at the end. No matter how hard it may seem always try to solve the issue. Be positive at all time, be positive in your work. If you believe that it is right then you have to believe that. 

  “One of the things that I was always, and still am, is quite resourceful.”

Block 18: Poise
"Just being yourself. Being at ease in any situation." Graceful and elegant bearing in a person.
     Increase self-confidence; accept yourself for who you are. Accepting yourself can help you become a better person. It helps you build up self-esteem. Always believe in yourself and your ability. Do not let someone tell you otherwise. If you believe you could do it, then you can. Have positives thoughts about yourself. Stay focused on your strengths. Looking at positive aspects of yourself can help you become poise. Be willing to fight towards your fears and forgive yourself for any mistakes that have occurred in the past. Know your value and do not change for anyone. Look for a purpose in life and go for it, work hard till you get there. Talk to people who are at the level you want to be. Maybe they are working in what you want to work in, go and talk to them. You can always learn new things from different people.

   “Baseball gives a growing boy self-poise and self-reliance.” 

Block 19: Confidence
"Respect without fear. May come from being prepared and keeping all things in proper perspective."
    Although not all of us have confidence we all should develop this. It can help you in many different ways making new friends, homework, or even a test. You have to believe in yourself all the time no matter what others say. People need to know that they can rely on you and you will not let them down. They have to be able to trust you with things. Be positive about things; do not let negative thoughts get to you. Get to know yourself better and you will find out new things. Never accept failure if you fail then try again. No matter how long it takes, just do it. 

Block 20: Reliability
Creates respect
     People need to be able to trust you with things. You need to prove them that you are reliable. That once you make a promise you keep it even though it might be difficult to accomplish. You need to keep your word when you say you are going to do something. If you do not follow through with what you said they will lose their trust in you. Once someone lose their trust in you it will be hard for you to gain it back. Then even if you speak the truth no one will believe what you said. When you are reliable you create respect. No one likes to listen to lies and be fooled by them. It is always better to just say the truth and not have people wondering whether you will do it or not. Respect yourself and others by being reliable. 

    “Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability.”

Block 21: Fight
Determined effort
    When it talks about fight, it is not talking about physically fighting. Always work towards what you want to accomplish fight for it. Just because someone says that you can’t do it, do not listen. Show efforts and a lot of it because if something is easy you won’t appreciate it. When you fight for something at the end you will appreciate it a lot because you will know how much work it costed you. When you fail, don’t give up. Get right back up and fight even stronger. When something seems to be very difficult keep fighting. The more you fight for something the more things you will achieve. If you do not fight and put effort into what you are doing there is no way you will achieve it. Someone with much more effort will take it. If you really want it then you will fight hard for it and you will fight over anything. 

   “We are twice armed if we fight with faith.”

Block 22: Competitive Greatness
" Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge."
    Always give your best when you know that you’ll need it in order to complete something correctly. Be patient, it all takes time. If you are lucky then in the first try everything will come out good. When you are learning something new take your time to understand it.  Maybe take some time to practice and get it better because it won’t be perfect. If you believe you got something correct, make new challenges to overcome. Over coming new challenges is the way to learn new and better things. Be competitive, if you really want something then do whatever it takes to get it. The more you try and the harder it is the more you will appreciate what you end up with. When you get something handed down easily then you don’t do work. Make competition but do not let that get to you. It’s good to compete but do not make the other person feel less. 

     “I'm competitive with myself, and that goes hand in hand with how I present myself. I'm not only trying to put one foot in front of the other, I'm trying to put my best foot forward.” 

Block 23: Integrity
Purity of intention
   having integrity is something that every one of us should learn to have. Integrity is being honest and having strong principal. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who has a lot of integrity and that we can learn from? They will show you that being honest is something very powerful. You are always going to want people to trust you and believe in you at all times. Always speak to everyone with the truth because if you lie sooner or later they will find out. Even when you think no one is watching do the right thing. Although no one will see what you are doing, it makes you feel good as a person. Do it for yourself and not because you want people to see.  Wanting to impress someone can always lead you into doing the wrong thing. It will make you look bad. No one wants to be around someone who is liar and can’t keep their word. 

    “The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”

Block 24: Faith
Believe and Achieve
    To believe is always the best thing you can do, even if no one else believes in you, you always got to keep believing. When you believe you are able to achieve whatever you desire. If you do not believe you will never be able to accomplish it. To believe means that you know you will be able to do something, even if it seems too hard. Even if you fail the first time keep on trying. Never give up on what you are doing, because of fear. Never let those who put you down get to you. Just because they were not able to do it they want you to not do it either. Have faith in what you are doing. If you think its right then you should go for it. Just don’t do something wrong because you think it’s right and it isn’t. Have faith in all your work and on everything you do. If someone gives you their opinion to try and help, take it to better yourself.

   “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

Summary: The building blocks can benefit us in many different ways, they teach us how to be a better person. How to change our ways of thinking and how to improve yourself. You can always make something better, there is always a way to improve. Do not ever think yourself as the best and perfect, no one is perfect but we are all different. I am trying to apply of the blocks in my life right now, I want to be a better person than I already am. They will all help me reach what I want to achieve. They all show me that I should never give up in what I want.