Motives are extremely important to accurately identify and honestly upgrade because they play such an early role in chains of downstream thoughts, feelings, and actions. Our motives are the strongest source of meaning and value in life, and when they are corrupted, they are the strongest source of emptiness and suffering.
Lies about motive are easier to tell yourself and others because they are completely internal and often hidden under layers of complexity. Human nature will ascribe motives other than our real ones to justify decisions that are more in line with our actual but less-thanhonorable desires. We ascribe good motives to poor decisions in an attempt to pursue baser motives without the guilt that should accompany them. A hallmark of such decisions is that those who make them will ignore pieces of information that suggest an ulterior motive or better option.
Often, we pretend to some benevolent motive when we are actually being selfish, or a rational motive when we are being emotional, or long term preference when we are preferring the present, and so on. One rule of thumb that can expose a dishonest motive is to identify and cross examine it. For example, if you think you are being rational, ask whether the path you’ve chosen is emotionally easier than the alternative? If so, you may want to reconsider what your actual motive may be.