Though you might hear the word “integrity” frequently, it’s not a word that people spend a lot of time thinking about. The root of integrity is about doing the right thing even when it’s not acknowledged by others (or convenient for you). You will find many examples of integrity in your everyday life (if you’ll look around you).
Resolving to adopt a lifestyle of integrity is a decision that will affect all aspects of your world. It all starts with a self-inventory to discover needs you're not currently fulfilling in your life and then deciding to change this. Successful people live with integrity by being transparent.
When you live with integrity, you motivate others with your words and your actions. People see your added value. If you will turn integrity habits below into part of who you are, you’ll be surprised with what will positively happen occur in every aspect of your life:
1.
Allow
for proper influences and self imperfections: To increase
your integrity, surround yourself with people you admire. What you feed your
mind affects what you project outward. Your integrity in life is affected by
your inputs. You don’t need to be perfect. Commit to make decisions to set
things right. Do this in the small things, and you’ll find yourself improving
your integrity and strengthening relationships.
2.
Anyone giving another person the benefit of the doubt when
the circumstances are unclear: Modern life is more
taxing and fast-paced than ever, and we suffer from stress on an ongoing basis. When we’re stressed,
we're more likely to get defensive and blame others. But if each of us could
learn to give people the benefit of the doubt across the board. One of
the noblest behaviors you can engage in is to give someone the benefit of
the doubt before rushing to judgment.
3.
Be
honest in all your communications: People understand that life is
filled with challenges. When you provide honest communication to others about
your obligations and why something can (or can’t) happen in the time frame
promised, they will most likely understand. Try to not overcommit to please
others. This will lead to a loss of integrity and failed relationships.
4. Develop
positive habits: To develop positive habits,
you first need to identify your bad habits. Take a few moments to list all of
the bad habits of which you are aware. In some cases your bad habits might not
appear to be a problem for you, but they are usually a problem for others.
Once
you feel you have a completed list, go through each habit and write down the
long term effects of sticking with this habit. Then, identify a positive habit
which you are going to replace it with, and how.
5.
Drivers who (almost) never use the horn or drive
aggressively: We all have to share the roads, no matter how
annoying that reality might be. How you drive says a lot about you: how you
treat people you don’t know; and how you handle anger. Driving in a cooperative manner that is
mindful of your fellow commuters is actually a sign of integrity. Let’s all try
to practice it more when we’re behind the wheel.
6. Encourage
others: By helping others, you help them to feel good about
themselves, and you are also helping yourself by creating a healthy new
relationship. You respect yourself by living in a manner which is consistent with your values.
These
factors guide each decision that you make, thus allowing you to achieve more.
You know that you can never truly succeed on your own so you offer the same
level of respect to others. When you live with integrity, the possibilities are
endless.
7.
Keep
yourself and your environment clean and organized: It’s difficult to exercise influence in the other areas of
your life if you don’t make the time every day to be self-aware of your
environment. Do the little things that you have been meaning to do for
yourself.
What's
the fate of the one thing you're passionate about, but have been too busy to do
while making a living? Organize the clutter and clear your slate by getting rid
of the things around you that detract from your focus.
8.
Make better choices: You
make thousands of decisions every day, some big but many small ones. The bigger
decisions often get your full attention, allowing you to make a higher quality
of decision. Do the small decisions get your full attention too? Usually not,
but when you regularly make the wrong decision, it starts to add up to some big
problems.
To ensure that you make better
decisions on a daily basis, you need to have a clear vision for your
life.
You need to consistently remind yourself of your goals. When you do this, they
are at the forefront of your mind. This allows you to make smarter decisions,
which are consistent with the life you are trying to create for yourself.
9.
Make promises and keep them: When you do not
follow through on your promises, you may fail at fulfilling your
responsibilities. Be sensible in fulfilling your obligations in a timely
manner. Make enough time to spend with loved ones. Enjoy life by not
overcommittting yourself. It may not seem like a big thing when you fail to
keep an agreement, but every time you break an agreement you erode a little of
the trust between you and another person.
To
live with integrity, requires that you keep your word so that you can build
trustful relationships. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when it
comes to commitments is relying on your memory to keep track of your
agreements. Instead of memory, you need a reliable system to record your
commitments and the actions you need to take. That way, you don’t need to
remember every single commitment; you just need to remember to check your
system on a regular basis.
10.
Parents apologize to their offspring for
their bad behavior towards them: Like animals, small
children make easy targets. They’re physically vulnerable by size and stature,
and they’re emotionally vulnerable because they don’t yet have the cognitive capacity to understand the
complexities of life.
When
parents feel overwhelmed, it often follows that they issue a too-harsh punishment at their children. Delivering an
apology to your child when you’ve gone too far is something they deserve. This
is sign of integrity. Parents should set aside their pride, and apologize more
frequently to their children (no matter how old they are).
11.
Romantic partners who boycott vicious behaviors: At the most distorted end of the
spectrum are the physical and sexual abusers; at the other end
are the name-callers and angry, passive-aggressive types. Those couples
that have problems with each other; but still manage to show a level of
humanity and kindness are composed of romantic partners who show integrity in
everyday life. May we all watch and learn from them.
12.
Stay
focused:
Have you ever noticed when your personal care vanishes that everything around
you starts to slip as well? Finding the balance in your life to maintain
yourself, your household, and your business is difficult.
I have found that making lists and setting
alarms on my phone or online calendar keep me on track even when the clock
tries to get the best of me. Notifying people important to you (friends, family
and colleagues) of your commitments will help keep you accountable.
13.
Supervisors highlighting their staffs’ accomplishments: Simply put, bosses
with integrity have no need for power because they know they're good at what
they do. They also have insight into the fact that they get better financial
compensation than other workers. The good boss makes a constant effort to
appreciate a staff’s contribution and to give them credit for a job well done.
We desperately need more integrity from bosses far and wide.
14.
Volunteers: It shows a certain
level of integrity to volunteer for a one-day stint here or there, but the
steadier integrity is shown by those who commit to ongoing volunteer positions
that require a real sacrifice of time. Cheers to volunteers who provide a
service to their larger community (or to underprivileged strangers).
“If you don’t know your purpose, discover it, now. The core of your
life is your purpose. Everything in your life (from your diet to your career)
must be aligned with your purpose if you are to act with coherence and
integrity in the world. If you know your purpose (your deepest desire) then the
secret of success is to discipline your life so that you support your deepest
purpose and minimize distractions and detours.” (David Deida) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“5 Ways to Help
Build Your Integrity” by Alice Martin
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