You are now moving into the third section of the circle mentioned on Day 60. This part concentrates on integrity. Living your life with integrity is the real essence of becoming a success. You have started to shine a light on various truths in your life, and today you are encouraged to continue to practice doing the right thing in all situations.
If you have hidden from the truth in the past, it will be difficult to change your automatic, everyday actions. Cut yourself some slack. No one is perfect. Living your life with integrity does not happen immediately, especially if you have practiced patterns of behavior that are not truthful and take you away from an honest path.
Your goal today is to change your patterns and practice integrity. Tape a slip of paper to your bathroom mirror that lists three things:
1. Have the courage to say no.
2. Have the courage to face the truth.
3. Do the right thing because it is right.
Repeat this list out loud every morning when you get ready, and use these magic keys to live your life with integrity. They are tools at your disposal, but you have to have the courage to pick them up and use them.
DAY
70
“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”
— Samuel Johnson
On the road to success, you are constantly searching for knowledge. It is one of the essential elements of your journey. Integrity is nothing without knowledge. It’s like having a beautiful new car and no gas. There’s nothing wrong with the automobile. It looks great, and it’s in perfect working condition. But it won’t take you anywhere without fuel.
On the other hand, knowledge without integrity is dangerous. History has provided numerous examples of what happens when individuals armed with knowledge but lacking in integrity come to power.
In 1958, Mao Zedong implemented a five-year plan in China called the Great Leap Forward. It was intended to be a Soviet model for expansive economic growth. Unfortunately, the model was not successful, and subsequent efforts to mask its failure resulted in the malnutrition, starvation, and death of millions of Chinese citizens. If Mao and other leaders in his party would have had the courage to deal with the truth of the situation, countless lives would have been saved. But they wanted their new brainstorm to be a success, so they dropped their integrity and lied about the results.
There is no single element that will give you success. You must combine the best known tools, sharpen them, and practice using them every day. Your assignment is to research three historical figures that combined knowledge and integrity with winning results. What can you learn from their examples?
DAY
71
“Whatever happened to integrity?”
— Anonymous
Let’s talk to your cynical side today. You’ve been working hard on lofty goals like integrity, honesty, and authenticity. Be candid now; is there a part of you that thinks this stuff is a little idealistic?
Do you buy into the idea that you must have integrity in order to truly achieve success, or do you think that’s a little naïve in the real world? Do you admire people who do whatever it takes to claw their way to the top? Or do you respect people who put integrity, honesty, and authenticity ahead of immediate material goals?
Get out that journal again and allow yourself to write down what you really feel. It is absolutely okay to doubt. Are you skeptical of this approach that says you must practice doing the right thing in order to achieve success? Visualize what your life will look like when you become a success. What does it include? Are you alone, or are you surrounded by friends and family? Are you happy, or are you discontent and overworked? Are you proud of your accomplishments?
Give your doubt and apprehension a voice today. Don’t stuff those feelings. Let them out. Try to specify your skepticism. Do you think the honest approach will work, or are you doubtful? What do you think about the statement that integrity is gone in our society today, and now you have to look out for yourself if you want to get ahead? Do you believe that? Do you consider yourself an idealist or a skeptic?
DAY
72
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.”
— Chinua Achebe
Yesterday, you gave your skeptical side a voice. Today, you are going to give your idealistic side an opportunity for rebuttal. Feelings of doubt and skepticism are important to recognize and face, but what do they accomplish? They usually succeed in putting limits on you and your ability to achieve success. They create barriers.
An optimistic attitude removes barriers. You may consider a cheerful outlook to be idealistic and not based in reality, but who cares? Do you want to live a life with limits or one that is completely open to the possibility of success?
Your job today is to remove all barriers. Write down your perfect life. Do not be remotely realistic. Write a fairytale with yourself as the main character. If you had an unbelievably successful life today, what would it look like? Who would share it with you? What would you be doing? Where would you live? Take away all limits, and let yourself dream.
Now, why can’t you have that life? What’s stopping you? You have the will to succeed, and you are building your integrity through the exercises suggested in this book. You have taken steps to live up to your true potential. Doesn’t it feel good to reach for goals you never thought possible? Do not be discouraged, and whatever you do, do not allow compromise. You deserve to live the life of your dreams—right now. Remove your barriers; argue with the skeptical voice in your head; and go for it.
DAY
73
“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a limitless supply of gifts to give others? You do have one very precious and unlimited gift to give, and it comes with a catch. If you don’t give it away, its value in this moment is lost forever. That very special gift is your presence.
When you are present and mindful of what’s going on around you, you give the gift of yourself, and that has a value that cannot be measured. Think about how it works when you are on the receiving end. Do you have a great friend who is always there when you need to talk and who is genuinely interested in your life and your happiness? How does it feel to stand in the sunlight of that person’s attention? It’s great, isn’t it?
On the other hand, have you tried to have a conversation with someone who has no interest in talking with you? It makes you feel insignificant and small and maybe even invisible. Offering your presence seems like such a small thing, but mindfulness is extremely powerful. Your presence is a gift, and if you do not participate actively in the moment, you are devaluing your life as well as the lives of those around you.
Your assignment today is to practice mindfulness. It is the final portion of the circle that was introduced on Day 60. Whenever you start daydreaming about the past or the future, bring yourself back into the moment and participate in life. It is one of the greatest gifts you have to offer. This is not a dress rehearsal. You will never have these moments again.