Live a Life of Integrity

By Hope Morgan, 2nd dan

Integrity is one of those abstract qualities everyone wishes to possess but often find difficult to apply in real life situations and practical dilemmas. When faced with difficult decisions, what will you choose and how will you arrive at your goals?

There are so many reasons to live a life of integrity. For one, it’s easier. While it may not seem like it upon first looks, it’s much simpler living honestly rather than deceitful. Often times, making unethical decisions can seem pretty painless in the short-term span, but those unethical decisions almost always comes back to take their toll. If you think about it, will you ever truly feel happiness or satisfaction in struggling to remember the lies you must maintain, living in fear of potentially getting caught, or never feeling like you truly earned your reward? However, a life pursued with integrity will earn you peace and pride in yourself.

Leading a life of integrity also builds trust in your relationships w
ith others. Someone with integrity is someone others can count on. He is someone others can depend on to follow through. He is the one who will be promoted at work, the one who will prove successful time and time again. He is the one his friends will be comfortable opening up to in times of crisis. When you choose to live a life of integrity, all of your relationships will be healthier, stronger, and overall, more satisfying.

Integrity is a value we should strive to incorporate in all areas of our lives. It seems like a fairly straightforward quality, but it can definitely come to prove difficult. Here are some areas you can start with:

• Integrity at work: You are getting paid to do a job, not goof around. There are, of course, exceptions, but if you are supposed to be doing something, then do make sure you are doing it. Don't take credit for others successes. If your company or coworkers pressure you to make an unethical decision, walk away.
• Integrity in your friendships: Keep your promises. Follow through on what you say you are or are not going to do and don’t let your friends down. Be the vault. When a friend trusts you with confidential information, lock those secrets away. Don’t talk smack about other people. Saying something behind someone’s back you wouldn’t say to their face shows a distinct lack of integrity.
• Integrity in your Taekwondo classes: Give 100% all of the time. Have personal integrity and don’t cheat yourself. Don’t waste your time by slacking off and not pushing. Be honest with yourself, your instructor, and your fellow students and work to achieve your goals.