Integrity: Harmony With Our Identities
What is integrity and why is it valuable? Acting with integrity is understanding, accepting, and choosing to live in accordance with principles of honesty, fairness, and decency. Character cannot be separated from the person. To be of good character means one’s habits, actions, and emotional responses all are united and directed toward the moral and good.
Having integrity allows us to demonstrate harmony and confidence within ourselves and also the world around us, fostering a reputation amongst our relationships as someone who is reliable, trustworthy and at peace.
To live with integrity you must:
Keep good company. Surround yourself with honorable people. Support each other. Allow them to serve as role models and sounding boards that inspire you to become a better you.
Honor your word. Every time you make a promise, you put your honor and integrity on the line. Keeping that promise should be as important to you as it is to the recipient.
Accept personal responsibility. Be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions. Knowing what’s right isn’t as important as doing what’s right.
Live for a cause greater than yourself. Find your life purpose. It will inspire you, keep you grounded, and provide stability regardless of the turbulence in your life.
By consistently embodying these ideals and being free of outside influences, you can build security in truth; confidence comes from definite morals and reflecting that onto others.