According to my ambitious plan for living each day of this month, this second day of April means examining and practicing INTEGRITY. I love the idea of integrity. I love people with integrity.
I like to think that I have integrity. But if I am completely honest with
myself, I think my integrity is pretty spotty. This is something I want to work
on a lot.
When I think of integrity, I think of authenticity; of
someone being the same on the outside as they are on the inside. Integrity
means walking the walk, not just talking the talk. It means standing up for
those ideals you hold closest and not being cowed by fear or distraction or laziness.
As it turns out, though I have high ideals and feel strongly about any number
of noble things, I am, by nature, fearful and lazy and distracted. “Well, I’d
love to write letters to city leaders, but The Voice is coming on soon and I
kind of want to make spaghetti. Plus, won’t those letters be posted publicly?
There could be backlash. Maybe next time.” When
I’m stronger… When I’m braver...When I’m more confident… When I have integrity...
But beyond just being true to your beliefs and acting dependably, honestly, and courageously, integrity has a moral component to it as well. Standing up for your beliefs and achieving your best life at the expense of others is not acting in integrity.Lying, slandering, cheating, harming others...there's no integrity there.
The virtue of integrity counts on many other virtues. There isn't a single virtue that exists independently from all others. Our characters are created by the melded structure of the virtues we choose to practice. You must respect yourself and your value system enough to work for a life you believe in. Fear can derail integrity pretty easily, so that means that honesty (with yourself), truth, and courage, are all building blocks of integrity. Because of my bout of fearfulness last month, and its consequential battering of my belief in myself, I feel a strong need to find my way back to solid conviction and integrity.
But beyond just being true to your beliefs and acting dependably, honestly, and courageously, integrity has a moral component to it as well. Standing up for your beliefs and achieving your best life at the expense of others is not acting in integrity.Lying, slandering, cheating, harming others...there's no integrity there.
The virtue of integrity counts on many other virtues. There isn't a single virtue that exists independently from all others. Our characters are created by the melded structure of the virtues we choose to practice. You must respect yourself and your value system enough to work for a life you believe in. Fear can derail integrity pretty easily, so that means that honesty (with yourself), truth, and courage, are all building blocks of integrity. Because of my bout of fearfulness last month, and its consequential battering of my belief in myself, I feel a strong need to find my way back to solid conviction and integrity.
And guess what? There’s no time like today to water the
struggling little tree of integrity that I have inside me. There's no time like now to let the light in and wake my integrity up from it's nap. How shall I do it?
What shall I do? Here are several thoughts and affirmations I’m choosing focus
on to practice integrity as a habit:
INTEGRITY AFFIRMATIONS
- I love, honor and listen to my authentic self, trusting my core values to guide my actions and decisions.
- I own and celebrate my truth and beliefs, gracefully, respectfully and confidently.
- I accept that living with the integrity of my ideas and belief means others may disagree, reject, or scorn me, but I choose to let go of any fear I have surrounding rejection or conflict.
- I choose to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. And if I’m not sure how to do the right thing most effectively in the moment, I will do the best I can with the tools I have. I act according to my values and ideals, take my responsibilities seriously, no matter how lowly, boring or difficult.
- I do what I have to do to take good care of those in my charge (always starting closest to home), as well as my health and all the blessings I've been given.
- I choose to slow down and think before speaking so I can eliminate the need for white lies, platitudes and off-the-cuff “promises” that I’m not sure I can keep. I will say ‘yes’ when I mean yes, and ‘no’ when I mean ‘no’.
Dear God, you know my heart and mind, better than I know myself. Today I ask for strength and courage to not shy away from who I am and what I believe just to placate others; I ask for the insight I need to honor my best self; and I ask for the grace and fortitude to go the extra mile in all things that matter. Amen
INTEGRITY QUOTES
Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly. ~ Thomas Jefferson
The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, But because of the silence of good people. ~ Napoleon
People of excellence go the extra mile to do what’s right. ~ Joel Osteen
The man who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself away. ~ Charles Schwab
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. ~ C.S. Lewis
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. ~ Carl Jung
Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe. ~ Barbara De Angelis
Perhaps the surest test of an individual’s integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect. ~ Thomas S. Monson
Wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it. ~ M.H. McKee
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters. ~ Alan Simpson
Be faithful to that which exists within yourself ~ Andre Gide
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