I disagree. IMO, there are rarely, if ever, any benefits to lying. The only exceptions I can think of would be exceptional circumstances, such as keeping a child from trauma or wrong action, saving a relationship, or surviving / acting in a robbery, or in the cases where it is required, such as undercover-work. As for "survival benefits", and "effective results"; Lies are distortion, and the more incongruent your distortion is with reality, the more effort and energy it takes to maintain that distortion, or otherwise it will return back to the norm. Change is a much better way to influence reality, because change, although it may temporarilly seem more difficult, only takes a one-time effort, then stays that way. That's the difference between distortion of reality and change of reality. While many people put all their energy into distortion, I put all my energy into change... ... By the time I've achieved my change, you're still maintaining your distortion. However, now I can already prepare for the next change! And that's the point where my life becomes better than that of those who distorted theirs. Just look at the ways people distort their "reality" instead of creating change. Like putting all their energy into buying a flash car, just so they can distort their social "reality" for themselves and others, "the Joneses". The truth is, the Joneses are just as f*cked as them, they're all in debt, having wasted their money on loans, rather than saving up and achieving REAL wealth. I know people driving Ferrari's who have less money than I do. They live a lie, I feel sorry for them, and I don't drive a Ferrari. I have no personal loans, car loans or credits, and would not buy a house on mortgage. Cash talks and bull$hit walks. That was just one example for how so many people like to distort their reality to the very high cost of giving up change. Who wins? Of course those few smart people who sell their cars and their lies to the Joneses, while creating change for themselves. I think at the end of the day, life is just like the markets; It might be distorted, overbought or oversold, but in the longer view, it's got a direction, and depending on whether you prefer to live your life on a path of distortion (lies, loans, drugs) or change (honesty & effort), that direction is either up or down. The choice is yours. Hint: Forget Tony Robbins and his "version" of NLP. He's a total charlatan, might as well go to pristine.com.
Negative, sir! Robbins is as much NLP as pristine.com is trading. That said though, Robbins has managed to create plenty of change for himself... By selling his distortions to others. So he is, in fact, ahead of a lot of people. Just like the very wealthy Pristine people. Read a hilarious thread about them here on ET just then.
Lying is a funny subject to raise around these parts. Of course people lie to themselves and to others. I find I do not care what people think of me as long as it is the truth. So I have no reason to lie to strangers. Because I do not care about their feelings exactly. But when my parents ask me how trading is going, and I had a bad week, I tell them I made money. Why should I worry them? When I look in the mirror, I see an old lady. So I don't look. I am not into that much reality. When Bob is in the hospital, I never tell his family. Why should I worry them. That is lying. When a friend asks me how I am, I always say fine. Who wants to know my little miseries. So we all do lie. It is the grease on the social wheel.