Do What You Say You Will Do

 

Integrity. I like that word. It makes me think of order and respect. You do what you say you will do.

 

But is integrity actually that important?

 

Yes. Definitely.

 

Let me explain…

 

Some people go through their lives with a lack of integrity and don’t think much of it. Especially when it comes to social settings, it’s not uncommon to hear comments like:

 

Oh yeah sure, I’ll give you a call.

 

Or

 

Great, I’ll see you there later.

 

…all the while knowing that it’s unlikely to happen.

 

Maybe you have a friend that is like that so you know they don’t really mean what they say. You’ve learnt to understand their language.

 

Or maybe you are that friend and you know that the people in your life will read between the lines.

 

…because what’s the big deal right?

 

Well, there is a big deal: a person that lacks integrity is actually causing a whole lot of damage beneath the surface. They’re eroding their human foundation. And they don’t even know it.

 

And so, while a lack of integrity is bad, there are actually many positives that come with strengthening your integrity:

 

 

Sleep better at night

 

People that lack integrity are constantly dealing with a variety of personal and professional commitments that weren’t kept. They’re juggling their issues…instead of dealing with them one at a time, concluding whatever business that meant, and moving on to the next thing.

 

The result of having so many loose ends is a very busy and disorganised brain. And a busy disorganised brain doesn’t sleep well at night as brains thrive on order, not chaos.

 

So, if you want to wake up feeling fresher and more ready to tackle the day, then that’s already one reason to increase your integrity.

 

 

Create strong relationships

 

Humans are herd animals. And back in our cave dwelling days, if your tribe didn’t like you, you’d be ostracised…and that would mean certain death.

 

These days, not having strong social ties is not as serious a threat to our lives, however relationships are still very important for our wellbeing. We rely on each other for encouragement, advice and emotional support in hard times.

 

That’s why it’s important to stick to the commitments you’ve made to the people in your life. Because when you do that they will respect you. And then when you ask something of them, they will happily reciprocate.

 

To put it simply: they will be there for you, like you were there for them.

 

 

Walk around with certainty

 

When you lack integrity, you’re constantly running away from mismanaged tasks or putting out fires. And that can be difficult to keep up with.

 

Because people that lack integrity don’t think that standing by their commitments is that important, they tend to not remember their commitments very well.

 

That’s why, when interacting with someone that lacks integrity, you may notice that they um and ah a lot when you speak to them…and their eyes are going all over the place. They interact this way because they don’t remember what commitments they’ve made, and so they’re hoping to not say something that will contradict a previous statement.

 

…and that to me just sounds like a lot of work.

 

So, by having integrity you avoid all that stress and allow yourself to confidently interact with others.

 

 

Make the world a better place

 

When you do what you say you will do, you make others feel respected and seen. And that feels good.

 

To add to that, your modelling of how we should interact with each other will make others want to act that way too. They will want to be that kind of person.

 

And that is how we change the world. Because, while giving to charities and going green and all that sort of stuff is certainly important, at the base level it’s about how we interact with each other. It’s about care.