Past Secrets Can Hurt Your Business

Dr. Linda Hancock

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Hancock has written a regular weekly column entitled “All Psyched Up” for newspapers in two Canadian provinces for more than a dozen years. Over the years, her readers and clients have said that they have benefited from her common-sense solutions, wisdom, and sense of humour. Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat. She can be reached at 403-529-6877 or through email office@drlindahancock.com

Published

February 28 2011

All Psyched Up. | | Past Secrets Can Hurt Your Business | by Dr. Linda Hancock | Published February 28 2011 | Revised June 26 2022

© 2022, Dr. Linda Hancock INC.

Most people enjoy a good mystery movie. They sit on the edge of the seat, waiting for the plot to play out and the pieces to fit together into an understandable whole.

In some ways, life is like that. We meet a new character and do not have a lot of information about them, so we tend to base everything on first impressions. Then, as time goes by, and we learn more about the other person, that perception might change being either better or worse than the original one. Many people have past secrets either in their own personal life or in the family genealogy. They might try to bury them from public view because of shame or embarrassment. Perhaps they are successful at hiding things and sometimes the information that they are unhappy about shows up in a most unexpected way. Even if the person is able to keep a secret for a number of years, think about how that secret may play an underlying role in the choices and behaviour that the person makes in life.

We often see the "heroes" who we had previously admired fall from grace when it is discovered that they had lied, cheated or been involved in abuse or addictions. We are disappointed and wonder how anything like this could possibly happen.

When I worked in the adoption field, I would be surprised at how many people would admit that they had placed a child for adoption in their youth and never, ever told anyone. Think of how horrible it would be to have that secret without anyone to share it with. And how upsetting it would be, a couple of decades later to receive a call stating that the child who was now an adult wanted to meet!

Yes, life can be like a mystery movie in some ways when there are past secrets. On the other hand, it doesn't end within a two-hour timeframe and the characters who portray those in the story can go home to other lives. Everything is introduced, unfolds and resolved in a neat little package. When you have past secrets, you need to consider the fact that they might not only affect your life but the lives of those around you for decades to come. The Bible states "Sins of the father go down to the fourth and fifth generation".

So, if there are past secrets in your life, seriously consider getting some professional help so that you can figure out how to deal with them in a healthy manner. Otherwise, they might hurt your business and all those who you truly care about.

All Psyched Up. | | Past Secrets Can Hurt Your Business | by Dr. Linda Hancock | Published February 28 2011 | Revised June 26 2022

© 2022, Dr. Linda Hancock INC.