Are you someone who is facing a moral or ethical dilemma—where doing the wrong thing can benefit you at the expense of your values, but doing the right thing can result in the opposite—thinking, what really matters?
I've been there.
"Do what's right, not what's easy." — Unknown
Integrity is a virtue and a commitment to do what’s right, regardless of the circumstances, and doing the right thing for the right reason even when no one is watching.
However, in this perverse day and age, there are pressures of society that can distort individuals' self-perception, prompting them to present inauthentic versions of themselves in search of validation and approval. This often leads them to compromise their values to fit in and gain acceptance, resulting in unethical decisions. There are false principles or misguided concepts of morality, confusing people's understanding of right and wrong, causing them to justify or rationalize immoral and unethical actions based on personal or societal standards. There are cultural societal norms where some unethical behaviors are accepted, normalized, and rampant, allowing people to engage in such behaviors without the feeling of guilt or shame, thereby desensitizing them and making them more accepting of such behaviors. There are competitive environments in the workplace, in the academe, or wherever you may be in life, where individuals are tempted to cut corners in their pursuit of success and engage in unethical behaviors to get ahead. There is a prevalent thirst for power and materialism where material gain overshadows moral integrity, prioritizing personal benefits at the expense of their moral values. There’s also the fear of repercussions, where maintaining your integrity and doing the right thing can lead to negative consequences, such as losing your job or losing friends, which deter individuals from standing up for their values and principles.
These things can pose a challenge to people’s commitment to maintaining integrity and building a good character. But we must understand the value of integrity in our lives and recognize that doing the right thing matters. And here’s why…
Why Does Doing the Right Thing Matter?
In this blog post, let us understand the value of integrity in our lives. Here's why doing the right thing matters:
1. Doing the Right Thing Strengthens Good Moral Character.
In the past, I've encountered a profound definition of the word integrity as a high standard of living based on a personal code of morality that will not succumb to the dictates of the majority. Personally, this encompasses what the virtue of integrity is and how it should be lived out in our lives. But why does it matter?
Often times, we can be faced with ethical or moral dilemmas where we are put in life and death situations, or situations where we have to choose between the truth over loyalty or confidentiality over safety, that the decisions we make have corresponding consequences, and we have to decide whether we do the right thing to stand firm in our values with integrity for the sake of our good moral character, or justify wrong actions at the expense of our values for the sake of our own personal gain or benefit.
When choosing to do the right thing, for the right reason, prevails in our lives, it strengthens our character. That despite the challenges—what people may say or what may happen, and even when no one is watching—we choose to do what is right and uphold the values that we believe in. Our walk matches our talk, and our character matches our confession. This promotes good, moral values and ethical standards, which is a foundational aspect that influences our personal well-being, our relationships, and every area of our lives. It also enables us to produce qualities and actions that have lasting value and impact, not just in our personal lives, but also to other people.
Every choice you make have corresponding consequences, whether positive or negative. I've been in multiple situations where I had to choose between doing the right thing at the cost of something and doing the wrong thing at the expense of my character and values. And in those moments, my character and integrity were tested that at one point, I had to choose between walking away from my vices at the cost of losing my friends or keeping my vices to keep my friends at the cost of my health and personal growth. Doing the right thing often times will allow you to lose things, will hurt you momentarily, or will involve an overwhelming decision to make which will cost you something. But in the long run, doing the right thing will allow you to learn important life lessons, will protect you from an even bigger hurt and long-term consequences that will save you from the pain of regret in the future, and will ultimately benefit you and your relationships around you. When you do the right thing, you strengthen your good moral character, and this builds resiliency as you stand firm in your principles, living them out with integrity.
"Character is the moral strength to do the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay." — Michael Josephson
2. Doing the Right Thing Builds Trust and Credibility.
I believe in order and how rules are set in place for a reason that will ultimately be for my good. I became a believer of Jesus in 2016, and my life was transformed from my old and perverse ways to the ways of God. As I continued to grow in my journey and knew more of God through the bible, I also learned biblical principles to live by that helped me in every aspect of my life. Those principles enhanced my life and strengthened my character, but even before then, I've already had values and principles in life. I've always stood by the principle that cheating to get ahead will be at my own loss, that from kindergarten up until my college life, I never allow myself to cheat to a point in my early college years that no one would want to sit beside me during exams because they know they could never get an answer from me, and how they make a seating arrangement—or what they call a "cheating arrangement"—for their benefit and I'd always be at the back, which really didn't matter to me anyway. It might seem insignificant in the past, but the value of integrity upholding these values and principles in my life builds a character of trust and credibility, which fosters meaningful relationships and associations. When you choose to do the right thing consistently, you become a credible and reliable person people can trust to associate with.
As scripture says in Proverbs 20:28 (TPT), "Good leadership is built on love and truth, for kindness and integrity are what keep leaders in their position of trust." Integrity is what keeps you in a position of trust, that when you speak, you are credible and safe to listen to because you don't just practice what you preach, but you are what you preach. That when you walk, you are safe to follow, because you walk your talk and uphold the values that you believe and speak. As what Dr. Myles Munroe said, "Everyone is born to lead. But one must become a leader." This means that in every area of life, we are called to lead in one way or another. May it be in our homes, our workplaces, our school, our ministry, or wherever we may be in life, we are called to lead. But you cannot successfully lead without integrity. A plant without being firmly rooted can easily be uprooted by outside forces and will eventually wither away. In the same way, people who are rooted in integrity will stand firmly in their principles and values and will eventually flourish and bear fruit.
"With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide." — Zig Ziglar
3. Doing the Right Thing Cultivates Right and Healthy Relationships.
As mentioned in the previous point, integrity builds a character of trust and credibility that fosters right and meaningful relationships and associations. This means that as you uphold integrity and choose to do the right thing all the time, it does not only strengthen your character, but it lays the groundwork for right and meaningful relationships that cultivate an environment of accountability, trust, and respect. This is evident in the relationships I have built with the right people in my life, where there is a mutual respect and honor for one another in an environment of trust, thereby engaging in meaningful and authentic discussions, being able to support one another, having a safe space to share ideas, and collaborate effectively with one another.
As a department head in our church, and as a leader, it's important to uphold integrity, building a character of trust and credibility, that I am someone who is credible enough that they can trust, someone who is able to effectively lead the team, and someone who is safe to follow. Additionally, a person of character and integrity has moral principles and values which are essential in the dynamic of personal relationships and professional collaborations, such as cultivating honor and respect for one another, even when no one is watching and even when things go rough. In our team, and even in my personal life, I made integrity and honor as a standard in my life. There are people younger than me in our team, but that doesn't mean that they cannot have any input or that they cannot correct me when I make mistakes. I allow them to express their ideas and allow them to speak because I honor their gift, and there are things they know that I don't. And I am not perfect, but I want to uphold humility in my life, not allowing pride to hinder others from correcting me. That's why we're a team, I cannot do it all.
We don't just practice honor and respect when people are watching, or only when things are going well. But when we make it a standard in our lives, living with integrity, it allows us to cultivate meaningful connections and relationships with people around us. This mutually benefits you and the relationships you are associated with in your life.
"The glue that holds all relationships together—including the relationship between the leader and the led—is trust, and trust is based on integrity.” — Brian Tracy
4. Doing the Right Thing Brings Security and Success.
I am fascinated by this profound quote by John C. Maxwell, which says, "Doing the right thing daily, compounds over time." This emphasizes the power of doing the right thing with consistency, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Doing the right thing even in small, seemingly insignificant ways, with consistency everyday will eventually accumulate and lead to significant and long-term results. This is similar to the concept of compound interest in finance where even small investments grow exponentially over time. This also applies to our habits, our relationships, our health, and every aspect of our lives. When we make small, consistent steps, choosing to do the right thing and making right choices everyday, overtime could lead to substantial outcomes and success.
There's also a powerful concept I've learned from the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, where he talked about the concept of getting 1% better everyday. Many people have this concept of success that if you desire for massive success, it requires massive actions. But whether it's about improving yourself, losing weight, building a business, improving your health, or achieving any other goal, small consistent steps matter. Improving by 1% may not be noticeable, but can be far more meaningful in the long run. If you improve yourself by 1% each day for a year, you'll end up to at least 37% better, and conversely, if you get 1% worse each day for a year, you'll decline to nearly zero. Choosing to do the right thing might not seem significant to you today. It might even tempt you to compromise your values for the instant, but fleeting gratification and benefits you can get from situations you may be in. But when you choose to do the right thing consistently, even when you don't see the results you want as of the moment, you will reap the reward for your integrity in the long run.
As what the bible says in Proverbs 10:9 (AMP), "He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely, But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished." When you walk in integrity, your steps are secure. Even when you lose your job over your values, lose relationships and associations over your ethical principles, and even when you experience momentary hurt and pain from it, it only secures your path by removing the things that are not aligned to who you are, your purpose, and the values that you uphold, that could ultimately destroy you in the long run, and this leads you to your success. People who do good things will definitely reap good things.
"Success without integrity is failure." — Anonymous
Always choose to do the right thing—even when it's hard, even when no one is watching, and even when things get rough—because it matters, and it would lead to your success in the long run.
May this blog post remind us of the value of integrity in our lives and how doing the right thing matters in everything we do and in every aspect of our lives. Do share your heart and thoughts in the comments. See you on the next blog post!
Sending love,
Coleene.
Read the previous blog post: The Importance of Perspective: How Your Outlook Shapes Your Reality.
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