Spend time getting to know yourself, and what you believe in. Build your self-confidence and self-esteem, and work on developing character. Work on building and improving these characteristics within yourself, so that you have the strength and courage to do the right thing when the time comes. These characteristics are important, because, sometimes, you'll be under intense pressure from others to make the wrong choice. People with integrity often have the same characteristics: they're humble, they have a strong sense of self, they have high self-esteem, and they're self-confident. This includes the big choices and the little choices – the choices everyone sees, and the choices that no one sees. Remember, honesty and integrity aren't values that you should live by when it's convenient they're values that you should live by all the time.
"If I make this choice, will I feel OK with myself afterward?". "If my choice was printed on the front page of the newspaper for everyone to see, would I feel OK about it?". If you're not sure what the right choice is, ask yourself these two questions: You'll usually know what's right and wrong, although sometimes you might need some quiet time to figure it out. Having integrity means that, no matter what, you make the right choice – especially when no one is watching! Often, people cut corners or make bad choices when they think no one is watching. These are the values that, no matter what the consequence, you're not going to compromise on. You can't live by values if you don't know what you truly believe in. So, how can you work on developing and preserving your own integrity? Step 1: Define Your Values Your integrity is what determines your reputation, and, just as this proverb states, all it can take is a single bad choice to destroy a lifetime's worth of integrity. Why? Because integrity is a hallmark of ethical leadership – organizations want leaders that they can trust, and when you demonstrate integrity, you show everyone you can be trusted. People who live and work with integrity are more likely to be considered for promotions. We're dependable, and, when we hold ourselves accountable for our actions, we become role models for others to follow.Īll of this, in turn, directly impacts our success in life. When we have integrity, we gain the trust of our leaders, our colleagues and our team. Our life, and our actions, are open for everyone to see, and we don't have to worry about hiding anything. When we listen to our hearts and do the right thing, life becomes simple. There are several reasons why integrity is so important.įirst, living a life of integrity means that we never have to spend time or energy questioning ourselves. Integrity is a choice we make, and it's a choice we must keep making, every moment of our lives. When we live our lives with integrity, it means that we're always honest, and we let our actions speak for who we are and what we believe in. When we have integrity, we're whole and in perfect condition, and we're not compromised by awkward "inconsistencies." But we can just as easily apply this definition to ourselves. These were likely meant for structures, such as the integrity of a building. Or, you might see integrity as staying true to yourself and your word, even when you're faced with serious consequences for the choices that you're making.Īlternatively, look at the second and third of these definitions. You could say that integrity is always doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, and even when the choice isn't easy. A sound, unimpaired or perfect condition.Īlthough the definition is sound, it can be a bit more complex to define integrity in our everyday lives. The state of being whole, entire or undiminished. Adherence to moral and ethical principles soundness of moral character honesty. The Random House Dictionary defines integrity as: 
But what does it really mean to have integrity? Integrity is a characteristic that many of us value in ourselves, and it's one we look for consistently in our leaders. In this article we'll examine what integrity is, and we'll see how we can develop it and preserve it by making the right choices in life. However, it feels good to live and work with integrity and, when we become known for this highly valued trait, our lives and our careers can flourish.
In a world where headlines are often dominated by people who make the wrong choices, people who make the right ones can seem to be rare. But this doesn't mean that they're not important to us: even the smallest action can have an impact on our self-respect, our integrity, and, ultimately, our reputation. Most often, the choices we face may seem insignificant. Many of us have to make decisions that define who we are and what we believe in.
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