Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #54

Position Yourself To Have Integrity

Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. (W. Clement Stone)

Some Definitions

Have - To possess; own; hold for use; contain. To hold, possess, or accept in some relation, as of kindred or relative position.

Courage - The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Say - To utter or pronounce; speak, To express in words; state; declare; word.

No - A denial or refusal. A negative used to express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in response to a question or request.

Face -To look toward or in the direction of. To confront directly. To confront courageously or boldly.

Truth - Honesty. Integrity. A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like. Conformity with fact or reality; verity. Ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience.

Right - In accordance with what is good, proper, or just. In conformity with fact, reason, truth, or some standard or principle; correct. Correct in judgment, opinion, or action. Fitting or appropriate; suitable.

Thing - An action, deed, event, or performance. That which is expedient or necessary..

Because - For the reason that; due to the fact that.

Magic - Any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.. The art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.

Key(s) - Something that affords a means of access. Something that secures or controls entrance to a place. Spiritual authority.

Living -In actual existence or use. Active or thriving; vigorous; strong. The act or condition of a person or thing that lives.

Life - The animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual. A corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul. The course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person’s existence.

Integrity - Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.

Source: Dictionary.com

What Is This Quote Suggesting?

The quote is suggesting what one must do if they wish to live their life with integrity.

The quote basically breaks it down into its smallest components.

• Do the right thing, just because it’s the right thing to do.

• Have the courage to say “no”, if you know that saying yes would be the improper thing to do.

• Face the truth. Don’t try to fool yourself into think something is right, when you know, deep down, that it is wrong.

Why Is It Important That We Act With Integrity?

I’ll tell you why. It’s because a large part of the world is based on the “honor system.” In other words, if we don’t act honorably, ON OUR OWN, there would not necessarily be anybody out there who could take us to task and stop us.

In other words, we have to police ourselves. We have to decide, FOR OURSELVES, what is appropriate and what is not, and then live by that standard.

Choosing An Appropriate Standard

If we’re going to choose for ourselves as to what is right and what is wrong, we need to have an appropriate standard by which to choose.

I’m suggesting that the appropriate standard is a “societal” standard. In other words, what would the average person in your society think is appropriate behavior. If you meet (or hopefully exceed) that societal standard, you will most likely stay out of trouble and you will most likely bring a lot more good things into the world than bad.

Doing The Right Thing Just Because It’s The Right Thing To Do

If nobody can police us (in most circumstances) except for ourselves, why should we bother to do the right thing.

It’s simple. Because it’s the right thing to do. Doing the right thing is VERY POWERFUL. Doing the wrong thing is VERY DESTRUCTIVE.

If you want to build the world up; if you want the world to be a better place for you AND YOUR CHILDREN.

Having The Courage To Say No

ALL OF US HAVE TENDENCIES TOWARD DOING THINGS THAT ARE BAD. THAT’S JUST HUMAN NATURE.

However, the strongest among us have learned (and were taught), that they must have the courage to say no to those instincts from time to time.

For example, you may have the opportunity to take someone else’s property. It might be an easy thing to do and no one would ever know (EXCEPT FOR YOU). You must NOT give in to yourself. You must have the courage to tell yourself NO, because it is the right thing to do.

Can you imagine what society would be like if everyone took advantage of every single opportunity to do the wrong thing? The world we live in would be quite different.

Facing The Truth

If you know something is wrong, don’t try to sugar coat it. Don’t try to mislead yourself. Assuming your parents did a decent job of raising you, you will know the difference between right and wrong.

Don’t try to justify your actions, if you know they are wrong. Simply don’t do them.

Summary

In short, act with integrity. Do the right thing, as often as possible. Teach your children to do the right thing as often as possible. Teach them the difference between right and wrong. The world will be a better place if we all do that.