My question for you is this: How could YOU raise your own personal level of Integrity?
After Coaching and Training hundreds of people, I have found that every single person could raise their own personal integrity in some way. There is always room for growth, the real question here is: “Are you willing to do the work?”
It is possible to: “Raise Your Integrity, Change Your Life with Kris Barney”.
We have heard over and over from many well-known speakers, trainers and even authors how important it is to have a high Integrity level. Zig Ziglar said, “With Integrity you will do the right things, so you will have no guilt.” Stephen Covey said, “Honesty is making your words conform to reality. Integrity is making reality conform to your words.” I feel that if it is important enough to have renowned authors and speakers repeatedly tell us how important it is, should we not listen?
“Integrity is doing what is right, always. Not what is simply Easier!” –Kris Barney. I know from personal experience that it is not always easy to keep a high level of integrity at all times. Yet I know that it is worth it! I have seen the benefits in my life and the lives of my clients. I have been able to see the impact it has on hundreds of people’s lives when they are willing to take the high road and do what can be hard.
As a Professional Speaker, I have spoken many times on my 7 Traits. My book, Leadership From the Inside Out, Are You the Leader YOU Would Follow, goes over all 7 Traits in great detail. When I do this Keynote, I am only able to speak on three of the seven traits. The ONE that is always requested by the business owner, the decision maker or event planner, is my Integrity piece. That part of my speech can be a bit controversial. In fact, several times in that part of my speech I tend to push people’s buttons.
Now, for the record, I do this on purpose, to get people’s attention to a higher level of Integrity. It has been interesting to see how people react to this. I have even begun to wonder if I should “ease up a bit” and not push people’s buttons as much. I even went so far as to talk with my husband, who has attended most of those speeches and he even admitted that perhaps I could “soften that part” just a bit. Guess what I found…
I had three clients talk to me about their experience with raising their Integrity level. They told me how it is affecting all other areas of their life and the dramatic changes that they are seeing. I share some of those things in the episode with you. Also, I had a fantastic conversation with one of the people that hired me to speak at her Women’s Event. That particular event was interesting, as it became the most “heated” on the topic of Integrity. I loved it, as it created a lot of conversation and opinions on how I was approaching this Integrity piece. But, I wondered after if I was perhaps too honest and frank with their group. Having that FRANK conversation is one of the things I am known for. I believe that being authentic and real and having a real discussion about what is really happening is a huge way to identify what needs to change to get a different result.
When I spoke with the President in charge, she said that she loved it! She said that it inspired the entire group to speak up and to think. It created them to take action and to look inside and take inventory on where they really stand and how they too could benefit by raising the bar! She also stated that “It was refreshing to have someone Bold enough to have frank conversations knowing it was for their best good.” That right there made me reflect on how I feel about Integrity in the first place:
“Integrity is doing what is right, always.
Not what is simply Easier!”
–Kris Barney
My question for you then is this:, “What value do you place on yourself?” That seems like an easy question, until we add in all the different areas that our value could be measured by. Your personal value is determined by several contributing factors, one of the biggest and most important is your personal integrity.
For quite a while I have watched others and myself as I have contemplated the trait of Impeccable Integrity. As I have watched society and even my clients, I decided that this important trait was not being given the significance that it deserves. What I can tell you is that it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, and we must hold ourselves to it!
Allow me to give you a couple of examples and even some data. I will start with a simple alarm clock. Do you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock? If you do, I would like you to assess what this might mean for you. There are several things that this simple, yet profound act signifies. First, it means that you are telling yourself that you had no intention of getting up when it went off and that you do not need to complete things the first time you are asked or told, whether by yourself or others. Second, this signifies that you do not need to trust yourself, as you will have second chances in life. Third, this shows you that you are allowed to show up late, possibly miss deadlines, have second or even third chances and that you will be allotted extra time if you really want it. I go into this concept quite a bit in the video that is in this article. Watch it for more information and explanation.
If the Scales of Justice were measured in your life, how would they be? Would they be balanced or would they possibly be tipped to one side or the other?
- Do you keep your word, always?
- Are you honest in all your dealings with humanity?
- Do you give back the extra change that the cashier gave you by mistake?
- Do you find the owner to the wallet that you found, with all the money still inside?
- Do you pay for a new cup at the convenience store, or do you say it is a refill?
- Do you return items after using them or wearing them?
- Do you sell yourself short when you could be empowering yourself through your integrity?
I know this can be a harsh look into yourself, yet isn’t being fully honest and having integrity something we all want? Wouldn’t raising your Integrity help you to create the life you want? How would it feel to live in a world where EVERYONE KEPT THEIR WORD and had Impeccable Integrity?
In this week’s video, I talk about Impeccable Integrity and the effects it has on you. This is a must watch. I talk about the alarm clock and hitting the snooze button. I also talk about what you are telling yourself when you are out of alignment in your integrity with yourself and with others. I even tell you a quick little story involving my daughter and giving hitchhikers a ride. Check it out!
Please join me and watch the video episode of; “Raise Your Integrity, Change Your Life!”. I would love to have you experience how raising the bar on your Integrity will change your life! Watch it today!