To say the truth always

In Buddhism right speech was considered as one of the paths of attaining nirvana.I have always suffered in the hands of lies.I lie when it comes to assertiveness.I cannot say "no" to people when they approach me for help.If it is within the boundaries of my principles and beliefs then I help them at an expense of my time.If I have other plans then I lie to get out of the situation.I shrink away from "no".But I have realised that telling the truth frees you from acting/wearing a mask.Once we accept that we are not perfect then slowly we start telling the truth.The consequences of telling the truth is not always rosy and nice.I have at times got into more trouble telling the truth.If the other person is not honest enough and does not respect the truth it is not our problem..it is their problem.But telling the truth does not mean passing cruel judgements against people.Truth should be relative to our life and existence.I personally try to avoid discussing "truth's" about others.