Many people assume that honesty and reliability are the same. There are however difference in the meanings of the two words. What does it mean to be honest or reliable? Are you a reliable person? Do you think you are honest in all you do? It is very important to understand these two virtues well and learn how their application in all your endeavours will lead you to success and wealth.
I want to share with you this story once said by one of my mentors Michael Agyekum Addo for us to get the understanding better.
“I took care of a young lady and saw her through university. She lived with us during her national service. This lady one day asked for a loan of $5000.00 and promised to pay as soon as she received her service allowance.
I obliged. After seven months, the long awaited allowance arrived in bulk. I waited patiently for this young lady to pay back or at least say something concerning the loan, all to no avail. When i finally asked her, she dilly-dallied and never paid up. She finally moved out of our home of her own free will. She later informed me that she was going to be engaged in marriage and i gave her my blessing.
A few days later, she came back asking for $10000.00 to help with the preparations for the marriage ceremony. She promised vehemently that she will pay back this time around. I could not believe my ears. Questions flashed through my mind. Is she a reliable person? Or is she an honest person or neither? What should you have done? Sympathize with her because she is poorer, only starting her life?
I turned down her request because of her earlier behaviour. If she had paid up the first loan she took, i would have considered the marriage my responsibility. She was neither honest nor reliable. If she pays back later on in life, she would believe she has been honest to pay back. But was she reliable? Can she be successful and wealthy?
Your guess is as good as mine”.
Dear friends for us to advance we need to be honest and reliable. To be honest means to be morally upright and unpretentious and to be reliable you need to be someone others can trust to provide correct results. People should be able to count on you. Let us keep this where ever we go. Thank you.
