#1423 Living in Integrity

In our last +1, we talked about wisdom from James Stockdale, Stephen Covey, Jim Rohn and David Brooks.

They ALL said the same thing in their own, idiosyncratic way.

Stockdale told us that “integrity describes a person who is integrated, blended into a whole, as opposed to a person of many parts, many faces, many disconnects.”

He also told us that, when we are living in integrity, we are “not preoccupied with riding the crest of continual anxiety but free to ride the crest of delight with life!”

I repeat: When we close the gap between who we are capable of being and who we are actually being, THERE IS NO ROOM for all the regret, anxiety, and disillusionment that shows up when we DON’T have the Wisdom and Self-Mastery to live in integrity with our highest ideals and best selves.

I also repeat: The MOMENT we live with Areté, we ARE Heroic.

You (goosebumps) don’t need to wait a decade until your vision board goals come to fruition.

YOU ARE A PSYCHOLOGICAL SUCCESS RIGHT NOW.

Or not.

We also talked about the Jim Rohn wisdom that the word character comes from a Greek word that meant “chisel” or “the mark left by a chisel” as we reminded ourselves that it’s HARD WORK to chisel our character as we move from Theory to Practice to Mastery Together Today.

Perfect.

And..

As you may recall, I asked you:

“How’s YOUR integrity? What’s important to you? Who are you at your ABSOLUTE best?”

And, I asked: “Have you taken the time to get clarity on WHO YOU ARE AT YOUR BEST?”

Then I playfully told you that if you HAVEN’T taken the time to unplug from Time Suck, Inc. to figure out who you are and what’s important to you then, well, you have even more issues than someone falling short of your standards. 😉 🤗

I promised that we’d talk about that in this +1.

So…

Let’s.

Nathaniel Branden came to mind when I typed that.

In The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, he talks about personal integrity.

In fact, “Personal Integrity” is the 6th and final pillar required to create a strong sense of self—not in a woo-woo, everyone wins a trophy kinda way, but in a deeply grounded, EARNED trust kinda way.

Branden tells us: “Integrity is the integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs—and behavior. When our behavior is congruent with our professed values, when ideals and practice match up, we have integrity.”

Then he gives us the line I was thinking about when I threw some shade your way. 😉 🤗 🤓

Right after that sentence, he tells us: “Observe that before the issue of integrity can even be raised we need principles of behavior—moral convictions about what is and is not appropriate—judgments about right and wrong action. If we do not yet hold standards, we are on too low a developmental rung even to be accused of hypocrisy. In such a case, our problems are too severe to be described merely as lack of integrity.”

And…

THAT’s Today’s +1.

Have you taken the time to get clarity on who you are at your best—establishing moral convictions about what is right and wrong?

Note: When I say that, I’m not just thinking of the “big”/abstract moral questions of life.

In fact, I’m not thinking about things like that at all.

I’m thinking of the WAY MORE IMPORTANT every day kinda things like how you show up in your relationships and at your job and how you take care of yourself Energy wise SO YOU CAN SHOW UP HEROICALLY IN YOUR Work and your Love.

If we haven’t taken the time to get clarity on those basic fundamentals, “we are on too low a developmental rung even to be accused of hypocrisy. In such a case, our problems are too severe to be described merely as lack of integrity.”

The truth can be painful.

But…

Good news.

WE LOVE PUH!

It takes PAIN, UNCERTAINTY, and HARD WORK to make a Hero grow.

Let’s bring it on.

And…

Let’s experience the eudaimonic delight of living in integrity with our highest ideals.

Not someday.

TODAY.