How To Be Happy In A Liar Infested World

People lie to you every day. Your boss lies about giving you a raise. Politicians lie about caring for your needs. Even your kids lie to you about when they'll take out the garbage.

The big problem though isn't the liars. It's how their lies steal away your happiness.

Yesterday, I saw a news story about a woman who had worked as a secretary for twenty years for the same Wall Street executive. Because of the financial system implosion she lost her job. And since all of her savings were in stocks she is almost completely wiped out.

During the story she broke down in tears.

Why?

She believed the lies her boss told her about companies taking care of loyal employees. She believed the lies Wall Street told her about stocks being a good investment. She believed the lies. And now she's fifty years old with no job, no money and no hope.

And she's not the only one. Millions of people across the U.S. are in the exact same predicament. Depressed, scared and no hope for the future.

What can you learn from this?

The biggest lesson is that believing liars is a recipe for disaster. This is how most people operate, getting suckered into scams that at best leave them angry and taken advantage of. And at worst leave them broke and penniless (like the Wall Street secretary).

So, how do you steer clear of liars? First, you have to be able to recognize them. You can't fight something off unless you know it's attacking you.

Second, you need to know how to respond to make sure you walk away happy, confident and in control.
So let me take a moment now to point out three different types of liars.

Number 1: The Steal From You Liar

Believe it or not, this is the rarest form of liar. It's also the easiest to spot. The steal from you liar will say almost anything to you, truthful or not, to get what they want.

For instance, the other day my mom read one of those "Free" air conditioning duct cleaning ads and had the guy come by. He hooked up a noisy machine to the vents. Then, after he was done, he told my mom she needed to spend $850 to get the mold from the air vents cleaned.

LIAR!

Number 2: Knows Better than You Liar

Also known as the "I give unsolicited advice" liar. What this liar does is to tell you, whether you want to hear it or not, how something in your life is "wrong" or "evil".

Here's an example. You go to a restaurant and order a big, fat juicy steak. Your aunt says to you, "You shouldn't eat that, it's fatty and unhealthy."

If I wanted your advice I would have asked for it.

LIAR!

Number 3: The Make You Feel Good Liar

Man, oh man. This one fly's way under the radar and there are a LOT of them. This liar HATES confrontation and wouldn't point out that huge pimple on your forehead before a date because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

Ever asked one of these liars if what you're wearing looks nice? Here's the reply, "Oh no, red goes great with purple. And I love those yellow socks you're wearing."

LIAR. LIAR. LIAR.

So what do you do to combat what seems to be a society wide fatal case of Liaritis?

My best suggestion is to take Buddha's advice on this. He said "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

Live by that mantra and I guarantee you a happier life.