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Why Integrity Matters

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we explored our 2nd part of  “you always have a choice.” This week we tie in a related subject of why integrity matters. If you miss any of our Wisdom Notes, please go to the blog to read past newsletters.

Integrity in our lives, our work, and what we produce to impact others does matter. As Paula and I have been truly blessed to live in the home that my great grandparents built, we are very thankful that the house was built so solid and with such integrity. After nearly 120 years, the structure of our home and the beauty of its interior is evident throughout.

It’s not always easy to admit a mistake, persevere during tough times, or follow through on every promise made. It is not always easy to be mature, maintain your composure and not get angry when another person treats you unfairly. It’s not always comfortable to convey the hard truth or stand up for your beliefs. In a business situation, especially if you are a manager or owner, it may not be beneficial in the short-term to do right by your clients, to put people before profits, to distance yourself from a questionable relationship, and to maintain exceptional business practices.

Without exception, though, in the long run, doing the right thing is the clear path to build and keep your reputation both personally and professionally. It is also the only path to long-term success and happiness. Your integrity always matters. Here are nine foundation principles, or stepping stones, as to why integrity really does matter.

1. Achieve peace of mind.

People with good character and integrity can sleep well at night. They take great pride in knowing that their intentions and actions are honorable. People with integrity also stay true to their beliefs, do right by others, and always take the high ground. They would rather suffer temporary loss, if needed, in order to maintain long-term integrity. They realize that life is a marathon and finishing well requires that you run the entire race well.

2. Strengthen trust.

People with character enjoy meaningful relationships based on openness, honesty, and mutual respect. When you have high integrity, people know that your behavior is reliable, your heart is in the right place, and your word is good as gold.

3. Build a solid reputation.

People with integrity command a rock-solid reputation. This helps them attract exciting opportunities “like a magnet.” People will follow someone who has integrity. Remember, though, reputation is how others see you, integrity is what you really are. A person of integrity will do what is right, even if no one sees them.

Psalms 106:3 – There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.

4. Reduce anxiety.

People with integrity carry less baggage. They’re comfortable within their own skin, and they accept responsibility for their actions. They never have to play games, waste precious time keeping their stories straight, or invent excuses to cover their behind. They can love themselves properly because of their integrity, which allows them to love others unconditionally.

5. Increases your effectiveness when leading others.

People who have high integrity can be more effective when they are in a leadership role. They have no need to pull rank or resort to command and control to get results. Instead, they’re effective because they’re knowledgeable, admired, trusted, and respected. This helps them trust their judgment without requiring ridiculous rules or strong oversight designed to force compliance.

Romans 15:2 – We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.

6. Build confidence.

People with integrity don’t worry about embarrassment if their actions are publicly disclosed. This alleviates the need for deception, damage control, or the fear of potential disgrace as a result of indiscretions.

7. Become a positive role model.

People with integrity set the standard for excellence. They live their life as an open book, teaching others important life lessons through their words and their deeds. They truly live their legacy each day.

John 3:21 – But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.

8. Live a purpose-driven life.

People with integrity live a life they can be proud of. They’re driven to make a difference and to do right by others rather than trying to impress others with extravagance. Their lives are a living testament to a life of purpose and meaning.

9. Build a strong life.

Having integrity is the foundation for a strong life both personally and in business. Everything else being equal, a person of integrity will be a better worker, manager, professional, and business owner. They do right by their family, friends, fellow associates, customers, and communities. Although it is difficult to maintain that integrity all the time, they know that long-term their lives will be stronger and better lived if they have stellar integrity.

Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

As we complete our Wisdom Notes for today, it is clear from the foundation stones on the trail that we have hiked why integrity really does matter. If we walk in integrity, God will grant common sense to go along with it as is indicated in Proverbs 2:7, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.” One of the foundation stones of a person with integrity is that he lives with a purpose. Next week, we will hike the trail that will help us to understand what it means to live with a purpose. Encourage your friends and family to join us on our 5 day a week podcast: Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

9 Ways to Stay Young

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we explored 9 moments that bring happiness. These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. If you miss any of our Wisdom Notes please go to the blog to read past newsletters.

Although I am in my 60s now, it is hard to believe, as I do not feel that I have lived that many years. With the advancement of medical care and the ability to stay fit and trim, many of us may be able to live another 60 or more years. If that is the case, I am barely middle age. There are certain practices that we can take advantage of that will help us to stay young much longer. There are certain habits or character traits that will help you to feel and stay young. On our trail today we will explore and examine…

9 Ways to Stay Young

Youth is wasted on the young—or at least, that’s what has been declared, but it would be a travesty if it were true. Youth is not only a time of life; it’s also a state of mind. Paula and I often speak about how we still feel that we are in our 30s. We do still consider ourselves young—and we intend to stay that way.

You can have a youthful outlook and attitude at an older age, or an old-fogey attitude at a young age. The choice is yours. Want to stay young at heart and mind? Here are a few ideas to help you:

1. Keep only cheerful, positive friends.

You can pick your friends, and I like to choose those who are positive and those who challenge me. They make me feel good. They don’t drag me down or make me angry at the world. Negative people see the difficulty in every opportunity while positive people see the opportunity in every difficulty. We need to be choosy of who we become close friends with or spend a lot of time with. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

2. Keep learning.

I think Henry Ford put it best when he said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” You should consider that you are a disciple all of your life. Never stop learning.

3. Enjoy the simple things.

Don’t forget to take the time to enjoy the things that you like to do—go for a walk or to the movies, read a good book, watch a favorite TV show, or spend time with your family. To stay young, you have to have a good balance in life.

4. Laugh often.

Starting your day with a good laugh, or, at least, a big smile, is as beneficial to your health as it is to your mood. Scientific studies have concluded that laughter benefits the heart, lungs, stomach, and other organs. It relaxes tension, changes attitude, and increases the body’s natural painkillers. Plus, it has no harmful side effects.

5. Stay in shape.

Exercise is good for your mind as well as your body. Studies show that healthy employees have decreased absenteeism, improved performance, and improved morale. I’ve always felt that a healthy life is a dynamic life.

The human body is the only machine that wears out faster if it is not used. Cherish your health. If you’re healthy, do what you can to preserve it. If your health is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

6. Be happy.

You are responsible for your own happiness. We sometimes convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, or buy a bigger house. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events might not make any difference at all. If you are not happy with the stuff you have now, you will never be happy with more stuff. There is no magic secret to happiness, but it starts in your head.

7. Don’t stress out.

You can’t escape stress, but you can avoid creating unnecessary anxiety. You just need to find a stress reliever. Mine is running, working on renovating The Big House, and working on the lawn. If the stress just doesn’t go away, then you have to make some changes in your life that might be more stressful in the short term but healthier in the long run. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

8. Don’t take guilt trips.

I remember a story about the worry tree. At night, an accountant would go home from work and place all his worries on a tree in his front yard. The next morning he would pick up those worries on his way to work, but surprisingly, they weren’t as heavy the next day. Taking trips can be enjoyable, but stay off the guilt trips.

9. Visualize yourself as youthful and with endless energy.

I learned years ago that visualization through life planning is the most powerful means of attaining personal goals. Visionaries can achieve whatever they want by determining a plan to attain it and expecting positive results. Visualization doesn’t do the planning, and it doesn’t anticipate the obstacles. But, it gives you a real idea of what is possible, if you want it bad enough. Vision is not so much what you think as how you think. If you can visualize it, you can make it happen. If you have a vision to build a house, you must take care of the preliminary requirements before beginning as it tells us in Proverbs 24:27, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.”

Harvey MacKay put it into perspective, “If you want to stay youthful, stay useful.”

Along our trek today, we learned the 9 ways that will help you stay young. As we hike our next trail, we will search for the 9 signposts to turn endings into new beginnings. In addition to our Wisdom Notes, encourage your friends and family to also join us on our daily podcast for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

10 Signposts for Establishing Positive Habits

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In today’s Wisdom Note, we will study the 10 signposts along the trail that will help us to infuse positive habits into our lives. These habits will benefit us when we face the difficult and rough areas of life’s trails. As these habits are woven into the fabric of our lives, they will help us navigate the rough parts of the trail that we encounter with less difficulty and stress.

It’s tough to argue against the power of positive habits that come through consistent positive thinking. A multitude of studies, data, and anecdotal evidence support the notion that optimists experience less stress, possess stronger immune systems, and have overall better health than their “Debby Downer” counterparts. But it’s not always easy to look on the bright side. In our overbooked and over-connected lives, getting caught up in a cycle of worry, anxiety, and negative thoughts is a norm in many of our lives.

One of the many wonderful things about positive habits is that anyone can acquire positivity with the consistent and persistent practice of these habit traits, and a good sense of humor always helps.

As a start, we need to practice not taking ourselves too seriously. Most other people in our lives don’t either. It is certainly worthwhile to visit the 10 signposts for establishing positive habits each day. Take control over your thinking, your habits, and your own happiness with these.

1. Practice Gratitude

Remembering all the good things that you have makes it a whole lot easier not to focus on what you don’t have. Be thankful and appreciate the abundance in your life rather than dwelling on what feels lacking. Practicing gratitude is rule #1 for shifting your thinking from negative to positive.

Ephesians 5:20, “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. Surround Yourself with Supportive People

Do all that you can to minimize your interaction with anyone who is a “Negative Nancy” or a “Negative Ned.” Creating an inner circle filled with support and encouragement is the next step. Having people around who see the best in you will help you see the best in yourself. Jesus had his own inner circle, even among the small group of the 12 apostles. Many times Jesus took Peter, James, and John alone with him. Two of the most memorable times were at His transfiguration in Matthew 17:1 and during His hours of anguish before his trial and crucifixion in Matthew 26:37.

3. Ditch the Drama

Separate from your toxic friends and associates. Say goodbye to those friends that always have drama in their lives and suck you into their manufactured issues and end up bringing you down. Minimizing negative energy in your environment is a prerequisite to overcoming negativity in your thinking.

4. Take Responsibility

The easiest way to fall into the negativity trap is by making yourself a victim. But on the flipside, to take responsibility for your own actions is to take charge of your own happiness. Remind yourself daily that although you may not be able to control what happens to you, you are always in charge of your reactions.

5. Success Comes in Cans, Not in Cannots

This one may take practice, but it really works. Change your sentence structure from negative to positive (from “Why do I always get the bad work assignments?” to “It might not have been what I hoped, but I know if I do good work then my next assignment will be better.”). How we view life is largely based on our perspective and perception. Make a concerted effort to see challenges as opportunities, and watch as doors open where there were none before.

6. Be Kind

Getting into the habit of being kind and forgiving to others will help you extend the same courtesy to yourself. And when you’re a friend to yourself, it’s a whole lot easier to forgive yourself for your mistakes and cultivate a positive outlook for your future. Being kind to everyone in every situation is one of the easiest ways to establish positive habits in your life.

Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

7. Find The Silver Lining

Most events and situations aren’t inherently good or bad. We just project those descriptions onto them. This means that we have a great deal of power over how we choose to view whatever comes our way, deciding to focus on the positive is a powerful way to take charge in your life.

8. Slow Down

Daily yoga or exercise even if it is not very extensive or committing to 10 minutes of meditation or prayer before bed each night can go a long way in helping you slow down your mind so that you can observe and recognize your thought patterns. Even just taking a walk in nature or reminding yourself to breathe deeply can help reset your brain and clear out unnecessary worries.

9. Set Your Own Standards

To take charge and responsibility for your daily lives you must develop positive habits. Instead of worrying what other people think of you and trying to live up to their standards, decide for yourself who you want to be and what you want to accomplish. Taking responsibility for your own path will give you a boost of confidence and self-esteem that makes the future and the present seem brighter.

10. Remember to Laugh

Laughing at yourself, seeking out opportunities to play and enjoy humor, and making others laugh can go a long way in creating an optimistic mindset. Laughter relieves stress and reminds you not to take life so seriously. Upon the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah encouraged the people of Israel in chapter 8:10, “And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!’”

Our trail today was packed with great nuggets of wisdom. Every day review these 10 signposts or habits for a positive life, and you will find that your life has indeed changed.

Affirmation Without Discipline Is Delusion

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There are many motivational speakers and coaches that promote using affirmations to keep us focused and motivated. While I am not against the concept of affirmations, affirmations by themselves will not affect any lasting change in your life. The problem is when you have an affirmation followed by no action, you are only deluding yourself. You must resolve to do something and then follow it up with action.

One of my virtual mentors is the late Jim Rohn is expressed it this way, “Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.” Jim Rohn’s also said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

Once you have your affirmations for success and discipline yourself to take action, it is then you have just made the connection between dreaming and reality. Discipline takes you from wishing for success to achieving it. When you stay on life’s trek for a long period of time you can achieve any goal you set for yourself.

1. Action vs. Self-Delusion – What’s the Difference?

Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action. The action is the ingredient that ensures results. The principle is ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. The key is there must be action taken. Only action can cause a reaction. Further, only positive action can cause a positive reaction.

Action

The whole world loves to watch those who make things happen, and it rewards them for causing waves of productive enterprise. I stress this because today I see many people who are really sold on affirmations, but don’t necessarily have the discipline to go along with the affirmation.

Let’s look at affirmations as our faith, and action as good deeds, which reminds me of the discourse Jesus’s half-brother James mentioned in his letter in James 2:18, “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’”

How true!

I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations can help create wonderful results. There is also a very thin line between faith and folly. You see, affirmations without action can be the beginnings of self-delusion. For your well-being, there is little worse than self-delusion.

The man who dreams of wealth and yet walks daily toward certain financial disaster and the woman who wishes for happiness and yet thinks thoughts and commits acts that lead her toward certain despair are both victims of the false hope which affirmations without action can manufacture. Why? Because words soothe and, like a narcotic, they lull us into a state of complacency. Remember this, “To make progress you must actually get started!”

This reminds me of another passage in James 1:22-24, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”

The key is to take a step today. Whatever the project, start today. Start clearing out a drawer of your newly organized desk today. Start setting your first goal today. Start listening to motivational programs today. Start a sensible weight-reduction plan today. Start calling on one tough customer a day today. Start putting money in your new “investment for fortune” account today. Write a long-overdue letter or email today. Anyone can! Even an uninspired person can start reading inspiring books.

Get some momentum going on your new commitment to a rich and satisfying life. See how many activities you can pile on your new commitment to the better life. Go all out! Break away from the downward pull of gravity. Start your thrusters going. Prove to yourself that the waiting is over and the hoping is past—that faith and action have now taken charge.

It’s a new day, a new beginning for your new life. With discipline, you will be amazed at how much progress you’ll be able to make. What have you got to lose except the guilt and fear of the past?

Now, I offer you this challenge. See how many things you can start and continue in this, the first day of your new beginning.

2. Action vs. Self-Delusion – Which Are You?

Are you self-delusional – a person that thinks “If I think it, it will come”? Do you have faith, but no good deeds? ACTION is the key.

Don’t be a person that delays action because you want to know everything before you get started. No circumstance or conditions will ever be perfect. If you wait to start something until you think you have all your ducks in a row. You’ll never start. In life, we’re forever learning. Therefore if you wait, you’ll never get to where you want to be. Take ACTION now! As King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”

You will learn that in the process of action, you fix your mistakes. If you fix your mistakes early, success comes faster.

Will today be the first day of your new beginning?

In our next Wisdom Note, we will explore 10 signposts for establishing positive habits.

Overcoming Obstacles to Success

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Turning Failure Into Success – Steps 1-5

Obstacles and failures, if applied correctly, can actually become our stepping stones for a successful life trek. Obstacles and failures in life are always more significant when they are our failures. From my perspective, all of my failures are major failures. This reminds me of the saying, “Minor surgery is when it performed on someone else; major surgery is when it is performed on me.” The same concept also applies to obstacles and failures.

This week we will look at the first five lessons we can learn by turning those failures or obstacles into stepping stones.

Always look for the positive side of the obstacle or failure. It’s easy to blame someone or something else (or even fate) for the events in our lives, but it takes courage to be able to see the bright side of a failure and move on. So be brave, be persistent, and be dedicated. Be committed, confident, and passionate; remember you have only one life to choose from. It takes time and focus to overcome fear and gain a positive mindset. The first lesson is to consciously maintain a positive attitude. If you do this, no matter what you encounter, you’ll be able to see the lessons of the experience and continue to push forward.

Stepping Stone #1 – Take courage and be positive.

Failure is a time for celebration. Failing is never fun, but if you celebrate the fact that you have gained knowledge, wisdom, and discernment then the failure has served a useful purpose. The trail to success is littered with the failures of those individuals who chose to celebrate the opportunity that each failure provided. The most significant breakthroughs in all areas of life were built on the backs of failure. Whether it was Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, or a host of others, their celebration of failure, spurred them onto success. Ralph Heath states, “One of the biggest secrets to success is operating inside your strength zone but outside of your comfort zone.”

Stepping Stone #2 – Celebrate the wisdom gained.

Failure teaches us to calculate the risks we take. When we fail, we can analyze the risk that we had to take and readjust the process. Risk may not be eliminated, but we will better know what risk not to take and be better prepared. The risks you take should be calculated; you shouldn’t fly blindly into the night and simply hope for the best. Achieving the next milestone on your trek requires calculated risk along with preparation, practice, and some awareness of your skills and talents. “To reach any worthy milestone, you must take risks.”

Stepping Stone #3 – Take calculated risks.

Failure will draw out negative opinions from others. Be prepared to hear from individuals that will gladly share their negative opinions and doubts about your plans and may try to persuade you to give up before you achieve success. Do not listen to this type of advice, but seek out only those individuals who are wise, experienced, and able to provide honest and productive advice – even if you don’t agree what they have to say. Some of those individuals may not see the potential until you succeed. When you do succeed, they will no longer see the barriers, they will want to know how you did it. Pauline Estrem once said, “To achieve the greatest success, you have to embrace the prospect of failure.”

Stepping Stone #4 – Accept only wise advice.

People who fail often grow as leaders. We are all leaders in some aspect or realm of life. To become a natural leader you can’t be afraid to do, then re-do, and re-do again if necessary. You do not wait for the trail to be smooth and free of obstacles. You are looking forward, up the trail, and are willing to take calculated risks. You embrace the journey of a life that would make life better for yourself and others. You are perfectly willing to slip and stumble at times in order to advance. You take responsibility for your failures and learn from it. You have a passion for what you do and improve upon your failures and persist until you make a success of it. Thomas Edison put it well when he said, “The sweetest victory is the one that’s most difficult.” The one that requires you to reach down deep inside, to struggle with every step you take, to be willing to traverse the most precarious trails without knowing what the path may be like once you reach the next mountain top.

Stepping Stone #5 –Growth comes during times of difficulty.

As we consider how failure can lead us to success this week, I will relate a story from one of the most successful leaders ever who also failed many times, but learned wisdom and great success.

Let’s look at the story of Moses and his father-in-law Jethro. This story can be found in Exodus 18. Let’s explore verses 13-18, “The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.

When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, ‘What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?’

Moses replied, ‘Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.’

‘This is not good!’ Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. ‘You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.'”

In other words, Jethro was letting Moses know, that in this situation, he was failing at his tasks, but by learning from his advice, he could achieve success. We will continue this story in next week’s Wisdom Notes to see what advice Jethro gave to his son-in-law Moses, as we look at five more ways we can turn failure into success.

Next week we will explore Stepping Stones 6-10 on our journey to turn failure into success.