On December 29th 2001, I was told the greatest lie of my life. It was told to me by one of my dearest friends. He told it to me because he knew that it would give me the confidence to do something that I normally would not have. I am thankful every day that he told me that lie.
The night before on December 28th, my friend and I went out like we would on any other Friday night. We ran into his younger brother, another friend and the friend’s sister. The sister and I talked for a long time that night. Although I was very interested in her, I didn’t ask for her number or anything. However the next day, I was told that she was very interested in me and wanted to do something with the group again for New Year’s Eve. So later that evening, I called her up in order to make plans for all of us to go out again. That’s when I found out that it was a lie. My friend had conjured up most of the story just to get me to call her. She was going to Philadelphia for New Year’s and had no plans to go out with us again. However she was happy to hear from me and the rest is history. She is now my wife and we’ve been married for 10 years.
Although it was a lie, it was more valuable to me than the truth. It took away the fear that normally would have paralyzed me into inaction. The lie made me act. It made me believe with certainty that I was going to be successful. It was a placebo of the best kind. I had taken the drug of self-confidence and it work magic on me.
There are so few things in life that are absolute. Perhaps the “truths” that you’ve been telling yourself haven’t helped you very much. The divide between the truth and a lie is often completely based on perspective. If you’re going to lie to yourself or believe the lies of other people, be sure that they serve you.
Huryk Unlimited 