INTEGRITY synonyms: honesty; uprightness; honor; upstanding; good character, principle(s), ethics, or morals; righteousness; virtue; decency; fairness; scrupulousness; sincerity; truthfulness; trustworthiness
Integrity – something you can spend years building and yet one moment, one person, can crush what you’ve tried so hard to uphold…how is that fair? I know, I know… “Life isn’t fair,” but when all that is good, honest, thoughtful, kind, genuine and real about a person is washed away because an ignorant or even vindictive soul tries to challenge that integrity, how can we overcome that?
It breaks my heart to watch a world full of individuals who do not see that their words and actions have a ripple effect. For example, a colleague challenges a decision made at work, a point of contention is blown out of portion, and a mark, a letter, a stain is then left on that individual’s permanent record. When years have been spent completing meticulous work, volunteering for committees, and making the business itself run more efficiently, this one moment drags this individual into the mud. I would venture to say that most of us will spend 80% of our lives at work, so it is inevitable that when something (positive or negative) occurs there, the rest of our world will be tossed about like a ship at sea. This individual hasn’t just had his/her work challenged – this person’s entire existence has now been brought into question. If something negative happens at work does this also mean that his/her reputation as a parent, a spouse, a friend, a coach, a volunteer, etc. has also been smeared with mud? Perception weighs heavy in today’s society, as we are constantly analyzing the world around us…and once our integrity as been challenged, how can others ever really look at us the same again? How can we ever look at ourselves the same again?
And, it doesn’t end there. The ripple effect continues. When we watch our friends’, our family’s, and our colleagues’ integrity being stripped from them, and we get weak in the knees, we cry, we scramble to pick of the pieces of it all and try to develop some kind of contingency plan to get us all through the next week, month, or even year. And we do this because we love them with every inch of our being – we would never abandon these true and genuine people in our lives. Their triumphs are our triumphs; their pain is our pain.
It’s not fair. But, we are all human. We all make mistakes. We all jump to conclusions. We are all trying to be the best versions of ourselves. I challenge you to take your “best version of yourself” and make it even better! Don’t ever allow the remarks of another person, their mistakes or yours, destroy who you are. Your integrity is defined by a million little things, not just one moment in time. Our integrity is built minute by minute and reflects, like a prism, the colorful hues of our character. If we can all open our eyes and see the world through multiple perspectives before passing judgement, then our world will be a more compassionate place. Build each other up, don’t break each other down. Acknowledge the ripple effect in your daily life, don’t act or speak without considering it. Embrace adversity, don’t scatter blame. Cherish your integrity and honor the integrity of others.