In life, there are personal secrets and things that happen to us daily which should be kept private to gain respect, confidentiality, and peace of mind. Telling and trusting every person you meet can lead to misunderstanding and a lack to achieve success in life. One thing that you should keep in mind, not all people wish you well and happiness, some people can envy your way of life and others will rejoice in your downfalls.

“In our culture privacy is often confused with secrecy. Open, honest, truth-telling individuals value privacy. We all need spaces where we can be alone with thoughts and feelings – where we can experience healthy psychological autonomy and can choose to share when we want to. Keeping secrets is usually about power, about hiding and concealing information”.

_ Bell Hooks

Here are the top 9 things you should keep private and don’t discuss with untrustful persons.

1. Income

Your salary is a question of principle transparency and privacy that doesn’t need to be discussed with all persons. It is also a personal matter and identity that needs to be secret to avoid judgments and attracting people who want you only for your money.

However, I do believe that asking and talking about salary details and money a person can make gives more value and worthiness to its owner but at the same time, I find it disrespectful and humiliating to ask him/her how much they make.

2. Possessions

Your own properties and precious things like cars or your latest technology gadgets collection are secrets that you should keep private and not tell people. In my opinion, you are not supposed to show people what you have because this can lead people to envy your life thinking that you are born to be rich, whereas running a property involves lots of hard work and time. People can even think that you are showing off and you are just attracting people’s attention.

So, my advice to you is to keep what you own for yourself because you’re going to gain people’s love and respect, too.

3. Family secrets

“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” 

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Every family in this world has secrets and problems, ups and downs that everyone should support and bear. You aren’t allowed to reveal family problems and secrets to people and deceive your family’s confidence in you. Family problems are like a cycle, problems should be kept inside and your duty is to protect the borders of the circle. If it happens you need some advice and solutions for your troubles seek help from a trustworthy person to provide you with support. Remember not all people are trustworthy.

4. Past regrets

Well, we all have done things that we regret now and this is not shameful, contrarily from the falls and regrets, we’re going to gain faith, life lessons, and experiences that push us to move forward. However, past regrets are going to change us for the better and encourage us to take action and learn to forgive ourselves.

Let your past be behind your back and don’t talk about it, stay positive and focus on your present and future achievements.

5. Your weaknesses

The most fearful thing in life is having weaknesses, but the worst is telling people about our weaknesses. So, your big weaknesses shouldn’t be admitted to people because they will exploit you in a bad way, you should rather focus on your strengths than put too much effort into your weaknesses. Also, you must develop the courage to elevate fears, push the pains to turn them into firmness and become the best version of yourself.

6. Future goals

Planning and setting goals for the future is a fundamental step in which you can achieve your dreams and personal development. However, there is one rule that you should follow in life, don’t tell people about your future goals because it’s going to reduce the possibility to achieve them and you will no longer feel ambitious, too.

You would rather write your goals in a notebook than write a plan to achieve these goals and start working on them as soon as you feel ready.

7. Your friends’ secrets

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

― George Orwell, 1984.

If someone has trusted you to keep his/her secrets you have no right to reveal them to other people. Whether this person is still your friend or not his/her secrets should remain reserved no matter what happened between you two.

Keeping other people’s secrets is a sign of virility and nobility. It allows you to gain people’s love and respect and most of all you are going to learn and practice self-control.

8. Charity works

Charity and benevolence have great importance in life to make the world better and well-developed by helping people in need. Besides helping others by giving them money, blood, food, or clothes is an act that you should keep private to yourself to give it more value. You don’t need to tell people about your charitable works or take pictures to show the world your good deeds.

“Do the Good and walk away. Offer kindness and leave. Don’t wait to be thanked or get anything in return”.

9. Sex life

Your sex life with your partnership should remain private between you two. It’s a matter of two people. You don’t have any right to discuss it or share single details with a friend or in the workplace just because people brought up the topic.

If there is something about your sex life that is bothering you talk about it to your partner and expand the topic to come up with a solution. Also, you can simply seek advice from a sex therapist.