Secrecy is the practice of hiding things from people who don't need to know. It is a vital practice in social settings both for protection and getting along well with others.
When it comes to personal life, sharing secrets can be a way of creating connections and feeling seen or heard. Revealing things about yourself to people can earn you things like trust and comfort.
But there's a dark side to secret sharing. They can blow up in your face, lower your self-respect, hurt other people, and sabotage your plans.
For this reason, it is important to reveal secrets that have to do with self-expression such as "hidden" talents, skills, personality, and hobbies.
Here are 6 personal things you should keep to yourself.
Plans for your future
This science suggests that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you don't tell anyone about them. And why should you? They will find out anyway once you reach those goals.
When you tell someone about your plans, you can feel the joy of achieving that goal or executing that plan be taken from you. Therefore you are less likely to work hard to get there.
Grudges
Most people have negative stories to tell about people they don't like. This is normal. What shouldn't be normal is telling people about your grudges from the past. Interestingly, talking about those grudges puts you in a negative light rather than your enemy. This is because your audience doesn't know your foe. They know/see you.
This kind of negativity will scare people away from you and hinder you from moving on and creating positive connections. Take the present opportunity to build positive relationships in the present.
Material possessions
We attach value to things that have nothing to do with their monetary cost. But sometimes you cannot resist the temptation to boast about your new purchase.
Unless someone compliments you on your new car, phone, or air fryer, don't brag about these things. It may portray you as shallow and obsessed with the monetary value of things and experiences, which can be off-putting in conversations.
Salary/Income
Keep your finances to yourself and the bank. Discussing personal income is ill-mannered because you never know someone's financial situation. Firstly, you might unintentionally come off as a braggart or be embarrassed if the other person has more than you.
Once your finances are public knowledge, people will see you differently, and you won't be able to change that. Save yourself and others the awkwardness and keep that information hush.
Family
No matter what you think about your family, keep those secrets inside. Whatever you know is a privilege of being related to someone by blood or close relations. Don't take that for granted and abuse people's trust. Also, remember that your family also reflects on you and your upbringing.
Charity
Doing good is always about the person you're helping or the situation you are alleviating. Telling people about your good heart ironically paints you in a bad light. People may never want your help because they know you will discuss them and their situations. Worse, you may be misled to make yourself the victim if people dislike you for bragging about your good deeds.
Takeaway
There's a good reason a secret is synonymous with confidence (to tell someone something in confidence). Keeping things to yourself will get you more respect, self-respect, zeal to achieve, and a good reputation.