Vital Habit #4
Integrity
Maintaining
a reputation for integrity provides strength in two ways. First of all, even
though dishonesty can win big in the short run it tends to backfire in the long
run. Sooner or later you will get a bad reputation and it will be difficult to
get other people to cooperate with you. A person with a reputation for honesty
will see doors open that no one else will. Everyone wants a person like this on
his or her team. But, more importantly, integrity is it’s own reward. It
increases your own sense of self worth. It makes you like yourself. It frees
you from guilt. It permits you to sleep peacefully at night.
The very times when
the temptations to lie are the greatest are also the biggest opportunities to
develop a reputation for integrity. The pain you feel from admitting a painful
truth is the price required to win the deepest trust and respect in other
people, and a greater sense of self-esteem in yourself.
Vital Habit #5 - Family and Friends