Integrity

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The word “integrity” stems from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. A person that is considered to have integrity acts according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold. In order for someone to be in integrity they must first be able to articulate what those values, beliefs and principals are. It’s impossible to live in integrity if you believe in one thing and say or do another. The goal is to negate the internal conflict and the fear of being discovered.

There are two distinct avenues of integrity that run parallel – having integrity with yourself and having integrity with others. But one can’t come before the other – first and most important is to have personal integrity with yourself. Are you congruent with your core values? Are they yours or do they belong to someone else? Living from a place of personal integrity will lead to having integrity with others with no additional effort on your part. People recognize integrity when they see it.

There are three very distinct traits of someone that has integrity.

Honesty: Being truthful to yourself and to others. It is so easy to tell little white lies, and it’s justified when we think we’re protecting ourselves or others from the truth. Sometimes we are afraid to share our true thoughts and feelings with others. Fear plays a huge part in our ability to tell someone what we really think.

Keeping Your Word: If you tell someone that you are going to do something, you must follow through with it. Break the cycle if you were taught that not keeping your word can be justified later. If you don’t want to do something, then say it and be done with it. Be impeccable with your word.

Be Fair: Do what you expect others to do. Consider the model of leadership by example. When making decisions, make sure that all parties involved are part of the process. Asking people to do things that you would not do yourself is not being congruent.

Integrity is an inside job. It means really taking a look at what is important to you and living from those morals, principles, and values truthfully. So become aware of your integrity. Define your beliefs and values. Live them and teach them with your actions. It is far easier to live a life in integrity than it is to live out of congruency. It is also much lighter on the heart.