Having integrity is the best way to build confidence and trust, to build a meaningful life.
To have integrity means…
- … to be congruent: by achieving balance between what you feel and what you do, doing what the heart (feeling) asks you to. Without this, life is merely a lie;
- … to be consistent: by achieving balance between what you think and what you feel, keeping reason in tune with emotion;
- … to be coherent: by achieving balance between what you think and what you do, being faithful to your commitments, objectives, personal beliefs and purposes.
VALUES
VALUES are some qualities that build VIRTUES. VALUES are made of VIRTUES.
Values are different from other qualities. “Values have a price.” There is a cost to maintain them, which is measured in energy.
Values are standards of behaviour, norms of conduct, which guide our behaviours in relationships, both with our peers and with the environment. Values are important.
There are different types of values: aesthetic, religious, ethical, professional, family, etc.
VIRTUOUS BEHAVIOURS
VIRTUOUS BEHAVIOURS are ways of living. They are attitudes.
These can be:
- Desirable, when they directly affect our mental well-being: humility, compassion, detachment, solidarity, generosity, mercy, benevolence, kindness, goodness, restraint, among others.
- Necessary, when they affect our professional well-being and the well-being of others: dedication, honesty, reliability, empathy, diligence, punctuality, self-confidence, integrity, creativity, companionship, among others.
- Essential, when it involves readiness to work towards any purpose: commitment, determination, discipline, persistence, honour, respect, responsibility, courage.
There are also ADDICTIONS, destructive behaviours.
Addictions cause frustration and shame, stemming from the guilt we feel when our conscience condemns us.
COURAGE
COURAGE is necessary to resolve existential conflicts. To build values and destroy vices. To foster virtues and eliminate sins.
Be committed to the future.
Be a little better, every day.
And with successive victories through courage, you will achieve a meaningful life
MORALE
Morale is one of such conflicts to be managed. It is made up of three parts:
- The code of ethics and morals, on which life has imprinted the values that we consider important in order to feel meaningful and valuable to the society in which we live.
- The judge, our conscience, which reads the code and shows us right from wrong.
- The judgement, which rewards us with the pleasure of fulfilled duty when we get things right and sentences us to guilt and to the pain of shame when we get things wrong.
ATTITUDES
Attitudes are a part of us that is visible to the society in which we live. These summarise the behaviours described by our actions. It is through our attitudes that others know the values we stand for. It is because of them that we are liked or disliked.
Our attitudes are so important that they determine a large part of our future. We will know where we are headed if we analyse them.
To change something in your life, start by re-evaluating your beliefs, which are imprinted with your truths, your worldview. Some beliefs are limiting, while others serve as driving forces.
Add the things you need to achieve your goals and remove the things that hold you back, for these have no value.