Above all things, Integrity

Throughout our lives we are taught the differences between right and wrong. This is done either by teachers or through life experiences. Whatever the case may be for you, it is vital to both your happiness and success that you identify the morals and principles most important to you, so that you can live your life with integrity. Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It is also the state of being whole and undivided. When you sacrifice your morals and values, you lose a piece of yourself and will find it difficult to wholeheartedly love or appreciate anything. What is it that you are communicating to yourself when you make a decision that you know in your heart is wrong? You are admitting to yourself that you lack self-control and that you are unable to make you own decision. This can lead to addictive behaviors, unhealthy lifestyles, and the inability to accomplishing your goals. When is the last time you did a self evaluation? You can do this by asking yourself a few questions such as:

Do I procrastinate? If so how often?

Do I put people down, or lift them up?

Am I taking steps each day that are moving me closer to my goals?

Do I treat my body with respect with diet & exercise?

The answer to these questions and several others that you can think of will tell you a lot about yourself. Did you answer honestly? Did you attempt to make excuses for yourself? Have you begun the downward path of lying to yourself? Don't get to down on yourself. We have all done it at one point in time or another, myself included. The important thing is to make the decision to acknowledge the negative aspects of your present lifestyle and begin the process of eliminating those behaviors. Set clear attainable goals for yourself and hold yourself accountable for accomplishing them. Jayce O'neal once said "Great men and great woman are not extraordinary people who do extraordinary things. they are ordinary people who do ordinary things with integrity". Hold yourself to the highest of standards and do what you know in your heart to be right and you will have love, happiness, and above all things...Integrity.