When you think “Honesty,” what jobs do you think of? Politician: Nope. Used Car Salesman: Not so much. Financial Advisor: Not anymore. (Think Bernie Madoff or Scott Rothstein.)
Unless you listen to President Obama and his accusations that they remove tonsils or amputate feet for profit, maybe you think of your Doctor when you envision honesty. Unless you’ve heard about the accusations of pedophilia and/or embezzlement, maybe you think of a priest or other church clergy. You may even have thought you could trust your Sports Icons, like Kobe Bryant or Tiger Woods, until, that is, when it comes out that they couldn’t or wouldn’t “keep it in their pants” to protect their marriages.
The simple fact of the matter is that TRUST is an important component to happiness. You have to be able to TRUST that those around you are being HONEST with you. The fact of the matter is that there are HONEST people left in the world, and they far outnumber those who are not honest.
Think about it: for every pedophile priest out there, there are hundreds who selflessly sacrifice their own happiness and financial well-being to provide for their congregation. For every Financial Advisor who rips off their clients, there are thousands who work in silent anonymity to protect your investments. For every Sports Icon who falls from their pedestal, there are dozens who are busy doing their job and taking care of their families.
Honest Politicians? Sorry: I haven’t met any. Maybe they’re the exception that proves the rule.
The reason for this blog is that, this morning, I dropped my car off with my Trusted Auto Mechanic for repair. I’d been postponing it for more than six months, but a fuel leak made it a priority. When I was originally quoted for the job, I was told that the primary work to be done would likely cost more than $2,000 for the engine work. We borrowed against our 401K double that to be able to deal with other issues with the car, as we rely upon it for many of the things we do. After examining the car and adding the additional items that it needed, like a new mirror and an issue with the turn signal, the final price was around $1,300. That’s right: It was LESS than expected.
By the way, my mechanic is Lonnie Avant at Avant’s Automotive Repair in Deerfield Beach. I’d recommend him without hesitation to anyone in the area who needs work done on their cars, and not just because of this particular example.
I’ve dealt with other mechanics over the years. Most, I hate to say, I couldn’t trust. It always came down to the bait & switch. Go in for a $20 oil change, and leave $500 later with “emergency repairs.” I’d be willing to bet that you’ve experienced the same thing in your lives. But that’s why TRUST is so important, and you only get that trust when you’ve been HONEST with your clients and the people in your lives.
Now if we could just get CONGRESS to understand this simple point.