That was an easy decision

A woman walks into the butcher shop just before closing. She says, “Thank Heavens I’ve made it in time! Have you any chicken?” The butcher opens his fridge, takes out his only chicken, and plops it onto the scale. It weighs 2 1/2 pounds.

“Ah, haven’t you anything bigger?” the woman inquires.

The butcher returns the chicken to the fridge, takes it out again, and plops it onto the scale, only this time, he keeps his thumb on the chicken. The scale shows 3 1/4 pounds.

“Marvelous!” says the woman. “I’ll have both of them please.”

Uh-oh.

Motivational speaker Ron White wrote a very interesting article that’s very applicable for all of us in business:

“A few years ago, I was standing in line to get my car registration. The woman in front of me had not renewed her tags and they were one year over due. She was asked, ‘Has your car been sitting for the past year or have you been driving it?’ She said, ‘What is the difference?’ She was told that if she says she has been driving for the past year she was going to have to pay $80. However, if she said it had been sitting in her garage then she would only have to pay $40. She then laughed and sarcastically said, ‘Oh...in that case it has been sitting for a year!’ She laughed and it was obvious she was lying.

“She turned to me and said, ‘That was an easy decision.’ I looked her right in the eye and I said, ‘Yes...it was.’ And you know what? As easy as it was...she made the wrong decision.

“Why did she make the wrong decision? Because it was a lie. It is as simple as that.”

Lying may get you what you want for now, but it robs you of a greater opportunity that is key in ensuring long-term success. Lying robs you of building credibility.

It can take you 10 years to build your business reputation in your community, but it’ll take you only 5 seconds to tear it down if you get caught in a lie. And even if you don’t get caught, you still bring upon yourself a greater damage. You can get so accustomed to lying that when you swear to people you are lying, people still won’t believe you.

For the sake of your business and your career, make honesty your policy.

A solid and lasting business can only be built on honesty. If you can’t sell without stretching the truth, it’s either your product is no good so you improve it, or your sales strategy is no good so you get some sales training. Lying is no option. If your customers even think you are lying to them, you’ve lost their business.

It is easier to stick to the truth, even when it’s inconvenient, because you don’t have to remember what you said the last time. Honesty is thus less stressful. Besides, the truth eventually surfaces.

Here’s a thought worth keeping in mind: A little lie is like a little pregnancy. It doesn’t take long before everyone knows!

Whatever you do, make it the truth. Remember, it is the easy decision.

Funny, but it’s really simple, powerful and true - the truth sets us free.

(Get daily inspirational quotes and thoughts from Francis! Send “Inspire” to 288 for Smart or Sun subscribers and 2889 for Globe. Visit facebook.com/franciskong2 for more details.)