Integrity Is Everything!

This article looks a bit closer at one of my simplest quote images…

It’s one of the simplest images yes, because it’s just 3 words, but those 3 words have the power to transform the life of anyone who takes them onboard.

Integrity is everything.

So, am I just coming up with a different way of saying ‘treat others as you’d wish to be treated?’ Well, that’s part of it, but integrity is more than that, and it’s the extra angle that I want to focus on – the extra angle that applies to yourself…

There’s nothing wrong with interpreting integrity as treating others as you’d want to be treated. Nothing wrong at all, in fact it’s a marvellous way to think and act.

It means you respect other people’s opinions, you assume the best of them, you try to see things from their viewpoint. You look to help others and support them. You don’t say anything *about* them that you wouldn’t say *to* them, and if they tell you something in confidence, you keep that confidence.

Phew, that’s quite a list! It can be a pain sometimes too, to keep to those ideals when it would be easier to drift to other behaviours, but the little breaks in integrity here and there add up to blow a hole in the whole thing – you either act with integrity or you don’t!

If you do, if you make the effort, if you make the sacrifices it might take, oh what a better world we’d live in, don’t you think? It’s a simple concept which has people, basically, being nice to one another, and so many of life’s difficulties disappear, the more people that chose that path.

All well and good, and I genuinely believe that integrity is the foundation that we should use to underpin everything. I did say that I wanted to focus on a different angle though, so here goes…

Integrity to others is great, but don’t forget integrity to *yourself!*

Let’s look again at the behaviours I think describe integrity to others – respecting opinions, assuming the best, making the effort to understand. Helping and supporting, watching the language used, and keeping confidence.

Do you apply those ideas to yourself?

Acting with integrity to others makes you more inclined to act with integrity to yourself, and equally acting with integrity to yourself will always leave you more open to doing it towards others.

Some people might say it’s selfish to act with integrity to yourself.

Nonsense. You are all you’ve got! The most important person to look after yourself, is you!

Respecting your own opinions, fully understanding and supporting your real wishes, ambitions, passions and joys, and doing something about it – it doesn’t mean ignoring everyone else, but unless you work on what truly makes you feel alive, you are doing yourself a disservice, and you are not acting with integrity towards yourself.

That may well spill over and manifest itself in behaviour towards others which you know full well is not with integrity, and deep down that will bring its’ own frustration. It can be a vicious circle of suppressed wishes leading to frustration, leading to bad behaviour, leading to more frustration.

It doesn’t have to be that way though. Why not go for being honest and true to yourself? It will leave you feeling more free and fulfilled, inspired to do the best for others as well as yourself, which lifts you even more, and yes this will lift others up along with you! It’s a classic win-win!

Integrity. Good old integrity. Is it too much to describe it as ‘everything?’

Well, in the world of self improvement and personal development, there are many things that could be described as ‘everything,’ but I have no doubt that integrity is right up there. If you’re not sure, try it, integrity to both others and yourself, and I think you’ll find you agree!

Let me know what you think, you know I love the feedback!

‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. Don’t forget to keep connected – my favourite way is Facebook
P.P.S. If this idea of integrity towards yourself is making you think that things need to change, then I can help, with my ‘Transform Your Life Now!’ Coaching Programme