I love Mark Twain for all his witty lines. But this is one of my favorites: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

On the surface, it’s a pretty funny line, but if you stay with it for a moment, you’ll realize that beneath the comedic tone is a much deeper message the world desperately needs to hear.

We are at a time in our lives where truth has lost relevance because sensational and fun just seem so much better. 

Why would we want to discuss a complex issue when we can just let our opinions fly high and feel the adrenaline rush from fighting with strangers on social media about it, without ever reaching any conclusion?

Why spend time thinking about the current state of our lives, goals, and careers when we can just drown out the internal chatter by focusing more on the latest movies, shows, and things our friends are excited about?

Why take the pain of challenging our false beliefs when we can just find people who agree with us all the time?

And if all of this was serving us, the answer to these questions would be clear: “Because it makes our lives better.”

But we know it doesn’t. We know that the further away we go from the truth, the worse and the more complicated life gets.

The more we lie to others, the more calculative (dare I say, manipulative) we become. And it’s not because we are bad people with bad intentions at heart. We just made a wrong choice of choosing the easier lie over the harder truth, and now we’re trying to stay coherent to a version of us that’s not real.

The worst part is, the more we try to create this artificial coherence, the person we end up lying to the most is ourselves. And that slowly eats away at our self-respect, self-worth, and self-trust.

The Downward Pull

The strongest force in all of human psychology is identity.

And that’s why the slippery slope of easy lies is the most dangerous one you could go down.

Think about it. In the moment, it’s easier to ignore the truth, so you do it once. And when you feel relaxed because of it, your mind thinks, “Oh, cool. We can do this. This feels good.”

It registers that feedback.

So, the next time you’re facing a choice, “Do I bear the pain of facing the truth now, or just bury it under the rug?” your mind chooses the easier option.

Now repeat this cycle thousands of times, year after year, and you form an identity: “I am always running away from hard things. I am a liar. I am not courageous enough.”

When this takes root, all your actions become subconsciously aligned to this false identity. Even in moments where facing the truth would be easy, you still choose to push it away and procrastinate—for no apparent reason.

Even when you know it’s actually good to handle this conflict now by being straight up, you won’t do that because your mind is not used to it. Your mind doesn’t think that’s who you are.

And that’s what keeps you stuck.

With every inch down this slippery slope, relationships become exhausting, but the false identity only gets stronger.

The question is, how do you break it? How do you move from this old, limiting identity and transform yourself into someone who feels free and says their truth authentically?

Build a New Identity.

As simple as it may sound, that’s really all you have to do. Right now, you have all these false beliefs about who you are that have been reinforced by your choices, decisions, and actions.

Now, if you just expect things to roll out the way you want, it won’t happen because more of the same always leads to more of the same.

So the key to building a new identity is not to change your actions, decisions, and everyday affairs. That won’t stick.

You need a deeper shift.

One that rises from within and shows up everywhere else.

And that’s why in the start, it feels fake, weird, and useless. But the more you practice and imbibe it, your actions start changing in accordance with this new identity.

That’s where this power truly shines.

So what do you need to do?

Just start saying to yourself, “It’s easy and safe for me to always be authentic. I am an authentic person. I am always interested in the truth.”

That’s not a magical affirmation. It will not work in one day.

But the more you repeat it to yourself, the more your mind starts accepting it, the more your actions change, and with that feedback, your identity shifts, and you start making better decisions effortlessly.

That’s also a loop that gets stronger over time. The only difference is that this loop of truth makes you succeed and helps you make the hardest of choices effortlessly.

And that’s what sticks. Effortless action.

Now, you become comfortable with what once felt challenging. You can sit by yourself and reflect on your actions without feeling the urge to distract yourself. You can find rejuvenation in the telling and experiencing the truth. And you can be emotionally free.

There’s only one question left now: will you kickstart the empowering loop today, or let your excuses take over and hold you back?

That’s a choice you must make, right now.

So what will it be: a bit of discomfort that sets you free, or the same, old, comfortable cage?