“To become a person of integrity, you must make a commitment to be on the side of truth.” - Terry Mante
LIVING
in integrity could be hard but compromising integrity could be quite expensive.
Integrity is hard because it is not cheap. It requires a price characterized by
toughness, discipline and sacrifice. Although the price for integrity is high,
its prize is enviable.
How
can we integrate the virtue of integrity in our lives? What can we do to ensure
that our lives are characterised by integrity? I have three ideas for you:
Speak the truth, synchronize your life and sincerely turn around.
Speak the truth
To
become a person of integrity, you must make a commitment to be on the side of
truth. Sometimes, it seems convenient to compromise the truth in order to look
good in the eyes of people. In the long term however, it turns out that telling
a lie under any circumstance is a serious breach of one’s honour, dignity and
conscience.
There
are times when telling the truth may put you out of favour with people. Scenes
like that put us in awkward situations and could compel us to sacrifice the
truth for favour with people. Yielding to such a temptation may be enchanting
momentarily but later, you will realise that even the people you sacrificed for
will not have trust in you.
Synchronize your life
One
of the definitions for integrity is “the state of being whole or undivided.” Practicing
integrity in life means building a life that is together. It is a life that has
no chasm between what is private and what is public. Real integrity is a life
that does in private what it portrays to the public. It is a life that is not
afraid of being caught.
Legendary
talk show host Oprah Winfrey considers real integrity as “doing the right
thing, knowing that nobody is going to know whether you did it or not.” If
something is right in public, it must be right in secret too.
Sincerely turn around
Although
integrity is a commitment to say and do what is right all the time, you will
certainly not do what is right all the time. As human as we are, there would be
times when we shall be sincerely wrong. Sometimes, we say or do things with the
conviction that we are right but it turns out that what we perceived to be
right was not exactly so.
People
of integrity do not invent excuses to justify actions or expressions based on
false perceptions. Rather, they boldly admit their error and change course to move
on the path of truth.
It is also likely that once a while, you may yield to the temptation to compromise the truth. If that happens, your conscience will prompt you. Don’t defy your conscience. You may be found out. Don’t attempt to defend yourself when what you do in darkness comes to light. It may be shameful but if you admit your mistake, you will set yourself on the path to regaining your integrity.
Two rewards of integrity
- Trusted identity: Integrity gives you a good name. It gives you an authentic voice. It gives weight to your character and enhances your reputation.
- Trans generational impact: People who live with integrity are able to pass on enduring legacies. If you live in truth, what remains of your life will stand the test of time. You will touch lives even beyond life.
You may not be perfect. You may not be right every time but integrity will earn you
credibility and respect.
© 2014 Terry Mante
CEO, Personal Development Network
Accra, Ghana
God bless you for this message. It is a timely reminder
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