| Bluffing is
a benign form of lying. It is pretending you know, when you don't. Eventually
you will be found out because in the words of a crusty old Oil Company
executive, "You can only push crap in front of you so long until
you step in it!"! When unmasked you will find that the price you
paid was your integrity. This is a huge price for a very small reward
(feeling important for a brief moment). Getting away with it a few times
is unfortunate because it may convince you that bluffing is OK, and it
isn't. Once you start bluffing all your creative talents are siphoned
away to keep the bluff alive.
In my experience I have seldom been thought less of by admitting I don't know, and then immediately going to an accurate source and finding out the truth. Often it doesn't take that much time. Admitting to not knowing is not a confession of stupidity, only that you don't know the answer. If you are a bluffer, giving it up starts with a commitment to not bluff. Like a bad habit, you must practice the right way (not bluffing) long enough to convince yourself that it's a better way. Eventually it becomes the normal thing to do. Another way this guideline expressed is; "It's better to keep
your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool, than to open it
and remove all doubt". |
© 2002 John D. Toellner
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