I’ve written about my children in the past. They seem to spark my creative juices with their experiences. I also seem to learn the most valuable life lessons from them. Specifically how to be curious and excited, be fearless, and to grow a little every day. The way they see life is without preconception. Their trust in the world, their honesty, their joy in discovery is all inspiring.
It’s no small surprise that this past week I “learned” about how to live life through my daughter. Ellie, my 17-year-old high school senior, is applying to the colleges of her dreams. She’s always been my go getter. She doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase “you can’t” or “you won’t” and she has reminded me of this often through her life. Thus, her college applications are no exception.
She received acceptance to East Carolina University, GO PIRATES, a few weeks ago. With over a dozen colleges remaining on her list, she is in no hurry to make her decision. Within a week, ECU reached out and asked her to consider their honors program with some exciting financial assistance. She immediately tackled the grueling application and the “art project” required for submission.
Ellie is book smart, but she is life brilliant. I could bend your ear for hours about her methodical approach to life and just how talented she is well beyond her years. However, Ellie is NO artist! The required “art project” for ECU, with the directions to showcase your core values in artistic form, was nothing short of a Picasso gone wrong! However, it wasn’t the artistry I was looking at, it was the message.
The piece, put together with glitter, sharpie markers, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes, said more than I could have imagined. Ellie indicated she had six core values. Each one was no surprise to me, but one caught me off guard enough to write about it.
“Doing the Right Thing When No One Is Watching.”
Essentially, Ellie defined integrity. Integrity means that we do what is right, even when it is to our own disadvantage. It is keeping your word. It is our moral compass and steers our ship regardless of the tides. Integrity is having strong moral principles based on honesty and to follow those principles.
So why is integrity important in our lives? When we operate from integrity, we gain the trust of those who rely on us in our personal and professional lives. Regardless of your leadership status, integrity ensures dependability and accountability. It’s the foundation of trust. Even if your values differ from those around you, your uncompromising integrity will ensure healthy relationships.
Our family motto when Ellie was growing up was “Don’t lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.” In the end, you’re not fooling anyone except yourself by doing so. I suspect this has played a role in the selection of her core values. I encourage each of you to stop and reflect on your own integrity. Can you evaluate your own integrity and guarantee that you’re standing on solid ground, even when no one is looking? Perhaps take a litmus test of your integrity. Spend five minutes to ensure you’re doing the right thing, regardless of your audience. Follow these simple steps and see where you stand!
- Gut Check: If you have second thoughts about a decision, ask yourself why?
- Outside Perspective: Ask that person you trust to help you with life’s decision. Their objective opinion may help steer your ship.
- Share: If you struggle to say it out loud you likely have made the wrong decision.
- Sleep: The luxury of time can’t be bought. Sleep on it and make the decision the next day.