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Uphold Your Integrity

Walk With Integrity

Being a REAL man is about having integrity; and having integrity means that your deeds and your words match up. Having integrity means that you are who you say you are; it means doing what you say you are going to do, and it means being honest and upfront at all times.

Living with integrity means that you make your life and your words match up. It means being responsible, reliable, accountable, and dependable. It means being where you say you are going to be, and when you say you are going to be there, and doing what you say you are going to do when you get there.

Being a REAL man means being true in all that you do: being true to your word, being true to others, and being true to yourself. It means upholding your integrity, by being who you say you are, by keeping your word and by honoring your commitments. It means always being genuine and always being authentic.

Integrity means making sure that your words

and your actions are one in the same.

“The integrity of the upright guides them”

~ Proverbs 11:3

The Nature of Integrity

Integrity is the unity between a person’s words and actions. Having integrity means that your creeds and your deeds match up—that the words you speak and the life you live are one and the same.

Having integrity means being consistent in your beliefs, living by your principles, and acting in accordance with your values. Having integrity means first having values, and then living to live your life according to those values. It means not only having principles that you believe are important, but living by those principles at all times.

Having integrity means that your actions reflect your values.

It means holding to your convictions, and living by your principles…

It means that your words and your deeds match up.

“Never separate the life you live from the words you speak.”

~ Paul Wellstone

Live By Your Beliefs

In life, you must not only know what to do, but you must actually do it. It is not enough to know what is right; you must also—and more importantly—do what is right. It is not enough merely to say that you believe in something; your actions must back up your words and prove your convictions to be true.

You can talk all you want about what you believe in, but ultimately, it will be your actions that speak for you. After all, your beliefs are not what you say that they are; they are what your actions say that they are.

“He does not believe who does not live according to his belief.”

~ Thomas Fuller

Live By Your Principles

Living with integrity means living by your principles. If you say you stand for something or you have certain priorities, then you have to prove it through your actions. You can’t have situational principles. That is not what having integrity is all about. To have integrity—and to be a REAL man… you have to live by your principles, at all times, and in all situations.

In life, you have to have consistent character. You have to be yourself in all situations. You have to stand for the same things at all times. You have to believe consistent in your beliefs and actions; you have to always concern yourself with being respected, and not necessarily liked or popular; you have to live by your principles at all times.

You can’t change your principles just because circumstances change. You cannot allow different situations to determine your integrity. You cannot let other people dictate your attitude, your decisions, your actions, or your character. You have to have the same beliefs at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night as you do at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. You cannot change your principles just because circumstances change: you have to align your actions with your values at all times, regardless of the circumstances.

Your principles are not what you say they are…

They are what your actions say they are.

You have to live by your principles at all times. In life, you have to have principles, and then you have to live by your principles. That is what having integrity is all about. That is what being a REAL man is all about.

You can talk all you want about what you stand for, but ultimately, it will be your actions that speak on your behalf. After all, your principles are not what you say they are, they are what your actions say they are.

“You have to live by your principles.”

~ Eddie Robinson

Live By Your Priorities

Your true priorities are the things for which you will undertake any effort, meet any challenge, and make any necessary sacrifice in order to adhere to and achieve. They are the people, the pursuits, and the purposes that are most important to you in life.

Your priorities are not merely ideals that you preach; they are the actions and the commitments that you make daily. Your priorities are not simply those things that you find time for; they are the things that you go out of your way in order to make time for.

Your true priorities are what you actually find time for…

and if you can’t find the time… you make the time for them.

You can talk all you want about the things that are important to you, but ultimately, it will be your actions that speak louder and clearer than any of your words. After all, your priorities are not what you say they are… they are what your actions say they are. As the saying goes: “Actions speak louder than words.”

“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you to say.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

By Your Deeds Shall You Be Known

People may listen to what you say, but they will never forget what they see you do. You can talk all you want about your beliefs, your principles, and your priorities… but when it comes right down to it, always remember this: “By your deeds shall you be known.”

“Good actions ennoble us, and we are the sons of our own deeds.”

~ Miguel de Cervantes

~ The Integrity Rules ~

1. Always do the right thing: Always do what is right, always do what is responsible, and always do what is respectable.

2. Always be genuine: Be who you say that you are. Be transparent. Be forthright. Make your words and your deeds match up.

3. Always be yourself: Respect yourself. Be true to yourself. Live by your principles. Be consistent in who you are and in what you believe in, live according to your priorities, and always be true to your values.

4. Always be responsible: Make good decisions, put yourself in good situations, and act appropriately at all times. Do what you’re supposed to do; be where you’re supposed to be; be on-time, and do what is expected of you when you get there.

5. Always be accountable: Take ownership of your decisions and your actions, and be answerable for their consequences at all times. Assume responsibility for your mistakes, do not blame others; do not make excuses or complain; know when to apologize; know when to grant forgiveness—both to yourself and to others.

6. Always be reliable and dependable: Do what you say you are going to do, and be where you say you are going to be.

7. Always be in control of yourself: Control your emotions, control your compulsions, control your desires, control your behaviors, control your habits, and control your life.

8. Always be honest: Tell the truth at all times, and in its entirety. Be honest with others and be honest with yourself. Be true with others, be true with yourself, and be true with the words you speak. Do not withhold the truth, and do not attempt to stretch it. The truth shall set you free, so long as you respect it.

9. Always be humble: Humility is the ability to see yourself in the correct perspective: to see yourself as you really are, not in the way you think you are. Put your personal bias aside, and examine yourself objectively—be able to see yourself for who you really are, both your strengths and weaknesses.

10. Always be respectful: Be respectful to others, be considerate of others, and be civil toward others. Do not make disparaging or hurtful remarks, refrain from gossiping about others; speak all the good you know of others, and speak none of the bad. Give credit where credit is due; praise when appropriate and deserved. Speak ill of no one.

11. Always keep your word: Be true to your word. Keep your promises. Do what you say you are going to do. Value your good name.

12. Always honor your commitments: Do right by others. Fulfill your obligations. Carry out your responsibilities. Follow through on all that you do. Finish what you start.

“A person of integrity insists on doing what is right at all times.

For a man to have integrity means that he is truthful in all things,

that he can be trusted, and that his word is his bond.”

~ Major W. H. Margerum, Jr.

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Always guard your dignity.

Always protect your integrity.

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“If you have integrity, nothing else matters.

If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

~ Alan Simpson

“A person with impeccable integrity lays the foundation for a just society.”