When you are a child being brought up by your parents, one of the earliest values that they instil in to you is that you must not tell lies and you must not keep secrets from them, but as you grow older and become an adult yourself, you definitely start to realise that this isn’t always the case! Of course, I’m not saying it’s a good thing to be a total blabbermouth, but there is no doubting that there are certain occasions and circumstances in life where keeping your mouth shut is the better option! Here are 5 times it's okay to keep a secret.
You can keep anything secret that you want when it only pertains to something that has happened to you. If you experienced something embarrassing at the gym, or you have a nasty habit that nobody else knows, then why should it be anyone else’s business? Keep your own funky business to yourself!
You have no right to tell a secret if it has been entrusted to you by a friend. They have turned to you and told you something that means a lot to them under the understanding that you keep it to yourself. In order to preserve your friendship, you need to honour that.
If you have been given a friendly tip in the workplace that helps you to gain an advantage over colleagues or competition, you should probably keep that to yourself to avoid evoking bitterness or jealousy in your professional circles. You don’t need to brag about it, just enjoy the benefits that it brings you!
At the end of the day, you need to look out for number one. If withholding a certain secret or piece information is going to protect you in a job, friendship or relationship, then hell, feel free to do just that. Also, you could be protecting yourself in the form of keeping a past trauma locked inside and unspoken.
Of course, one the most important times not to spill a secret is when it pertains to a surprise! Nobody wants to be the person who ruins the planning and the party for everyone, so if you are in the chosen loop of surprise party secret holder, then make sure that you honour the code and keep quiet!