- in·teg·ri·ty – /inˈteɡrədē/ noun 1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. 2. the state of being whole and undivided.
There seems to be a “lack of integrity” epidemic infiltrating our society. In all actuality, this dis-ease that has been around for quite awhile, although it seems to be spreading wider, deeper and faster than ever before.
You Can’t Make Make This Stuff Up?
Recently, it was revealed that a newly elected New York Representative, George Santos, created a fantasy biography and lied about pretty much everything, other than his name. He lied about where he was educated, where he worked, his experience, he even lied about his heritage!
Most folks believe this behavior is unacceptable, to others, it may even be deemed criminal, but not George…
He simply chocks these outright lies as being “slight embellishments” and “no big deal!” Yes, this self-proclaimed millionaire and a former Portuguese language customer service agent for DISH network, brushes this all off as a whole lotta nothing. I guess lying to the House Ethics Committee by lying on the forms is okay in his book.
It Gets Better!
Four days ago on January 7, he said that his work in Congress, “is not about his personal life” and vowed “to start delivering results!”
So let me see if I get this Georgie, what I hear you saying is; You can lie about who you are, misrepresent yourself to influence people’s votes and that has absolutely nothing, zilch, zero, to do with your integrity as a Representative of the American People?
But wait, there’s more! Some of his fellow representatives are supporting him. Why? Because they don’t want to lose the seat in the House to the opposing party.
So it is George Santos who is naïve? Or are we the naïve ones here?
Integrity is About Living an Integrated Life
Integrity is about being who you are in every aspect of your life. It is about living an integrated life, where who you are on Friday at Happy Hour is the same person who sits in the church pew on Sunday morning, and shows up at home with the family.
When you don’t live an integrated life, when you attempt to be a different person depending on who you’re with , the place or situation, you end up living a life of dis-integration. Eventually, it all falls apart, and like Humpty Dumpty, all the kings horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again!
7 Questions to Ask Yourself About Integrity
- Do you attempt to alter who you are depending on who you are with or the situation?
- If your spouse, parents, children, rabbi, minister, best friends, etc. saw you at Happy Hour on a Friday night, would they not recognize you or be embarrassed for you by your behavior?
- Do you ever feel like you are trying to keep up a façade so others will like you more?
- Have you ever felt like a big fake and that if people knew who you really were they would run away?
- Do you ever feel exhausted from attempting to be all things to all people, people pleasing, or the “go to” person a good deal of the the time?
- Have you ever misrepresented yourself or the facts and justified it by saying it was to protect the other person? But it was really about protecting yourself and your reputation.
- If you answered ‘yes’ to more than 2 questions, would you like to change this behavior?
If you want to change, if you would like to increase your level of integrity, I just might have just the thing you need.
In my last book, Extraordinary Results For Life, you will discover how to change, and what prevents people from changing. More importantly you will learn how to live a more integrated life, full of meaning, integrity, and purpose.
Who knows, it just might be the perfect resource at the perfect time!
Click on this link to find it in a venue that works best for you!
Until next time…stay integrated!
