Self Integrity

What is Self Integrity?

It starts with complete and utter honesty. With yourself.

It is your agreement and constant alignment with your own values, dreams, goals and hopes.

It is deciding what you want and doing what you tell yourself that you are going to do.

Period.

Self Integrity is not…

Guilt - doing something because you would feel guilty if you didn’t - because someone else wants you to do it.
A Yardstick – a tool used by yourself to be sure that you measure up… to someone else.
Hedging to please others, through fear or a false sense of loyalty.
A phony shell to please others as opposed to your self - do you know what your own values are? More importantly - do you own them?
Self Integrity is not about other people. It is all about you.

Self Intergrity is…

Self Discipline – without it integrity with self is in a state of inertia – getting no where fast - one place you don’t want to be.
Absence of fear – often fear masks your ability to connect with your own values and goals for yourself. Fear takes away the ability to create “Lofty Goals”. You will recognize Fear by a few other names – Can’t, Shouldn’t and Wouldn’t.
A tool you can use to have a phenomenal life - a tool you can use to measure your progress… with yourself.
Making a Decision – how do you want your life to be? Decide, and do it that way.
Accountability - to yourself.
About Honour – You will hear it. The whisper in your ear when you are not honouring your life. Honour that whisper, don’t cast it aside. Get to know it. Make friends with it. See what happens.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TIME MANAGEMENT?

Just recently I made the connection between Self Integrity and Time Management. Time Management for me, being the optimal use of my energies in the time slot given to move me towards my goals. My progress will ultimately be the sum total of life.

It occurred to me that any time we move away from the standards we set for ourselves either through action, reaction or non action, we are out of integrity with ourselves.

After the initial discovery and planning stage, it’s the simplest tool to keep oneself on track that I have found to date.

This is because there are many moments through out the day when I can choose to either do a task that I have set for myself, or I can choose not to.

Each time that I choose not to, I move away from my goal, my integrity with myself.

Next time you are having an issue with a task ask yourself a simple question.

Am I “in integrity” with myself by ignoring this item.

Will walking by this pile of boxes for the 2nd day in a row align me with the deal I made with myself to tidy this corner up?

Will watching just one more TV show instead of doing an hour on the project that I have been “burning” to finish satisfy the agreement that I made with myself to conquer this achievement, to see it through to completion?

How do you know if you are out of integrity with yourself?

You may feel guilt. You may feel frustrated that your life is not what you had planned. You may feel that you are getting no where. You may need to let go.

The next time you are having problems hitting a goal, ask yourself a quick question…

Do I like myself for making this choice?

If the answer is no, change your action immediately. It’s simply a matter of deciding to do it.

Janice Ferrante is the Queen of KAOS. You can learn more about how to Conquer KAOS and take CONTROL by visiting her website at http://www.queen-of-kaos.com. Also be sure to sign up for her free ezine containing more practical tips, articles and resources at http://www.queen-of-kaos.com/qoktipssub.html .