One definition of integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” A physical description of integrity is unimpaired and complete. According to Wiki, “Integrity comes from the Greed words ‘integra’ meaning whole. It enters into every aspect of one’s life. It is a belief system without faltering, no matter how dangerous it is or how unpopular it is with others. It includes: sincerity, keeping one’s word and agreements, honesty, truthfulness, ethics, fairness and justice.”
The obvious ways one may lack integrity is by lying, cheating and stealing or causing harm in any other way to another living being. But there are other, more subtle ways one may lack integrity. What I am talking about are the ways we deceive ourselves. You commit to eating healthy and swear today at the party you won’t touch the cake. Yet as soon as the cake is cut, you are elbowing everyone out of the way to be the first one in line. Or you swear you won’t watch more than an hour of television a day or go two days without exercising. Yet you get mesmerized by the tv and before you know it, it’s 11:00, you’ve done nothing productive and you’re going to bed late again. Or four days passed, you look up and see your sneakers thrown in the back of the closet, and realize you haven’t worked out.
People pleasing is a big offense to yourself. How often do you say “yes” when you really mean “no?” Not being able to set personal boundaries or speak your truth because of fear of disapproval are all ways of being out of integrity.
You may think it’s no big deal because no one except you knows about the personal choices you make daily. Bet these little dings to your self-esteem add up until one morning you wake up and don’t feel very good about yourself. You know you’re not making choices to align with your highest self, therefore sabotaging your dream life.
So don’t lie to yourself, cheat on your commitments to yourself or steal your own joy. Look closely and notice what area or areas of your life are lacking integrity. Then take the next step and make the choices that honor your highest ideals on a daily basis. Day by day as you honor your commitments to yourself, you will start to notice your life changing in amazing ways. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Start today to honor yourself and live with integrity.
Positive Quote of the Day: “Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take to be honest with ourselves.” -Walter Anderson