A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.- Winston Churchill

Integrity does what it says, and says what it does. It is unwavering. It is as solid as the sun rising every morning, and setting every night. It can be relied upon.

For adult humans, integrity can be found in the spoken word or through patterns of behavior. For the starfish, integrity is found in the immersive waters. And for the baby, integrity is found from the warmth of its mother.

When we take heed to the Power of Integrity, we listen to the words spoken, some just to fill the uncomfortable quiet empty spaces… that have no real direction or purpose, except to direct another’s thinking.

Take a listen to words which are carelessly spoken, wavering words offered without self-evaluation of principle, intention, endurance or purpose. How do those words feel to receive?

Don’t get me wrong, a good fictional movie or book can feed the mind from its story line. Perhaps its characters display how integrity works. Or from the words of the MC of a sporting event, who garnishes his time, by use of the spoken word. Therein lies a purpose.

When we realize how powerful our words are, then speak less and listen more. Words have the power to create and the power to destroy. When you know this, you begin to listen to integrity. It becomes an art. It allows the memory to sharpen, while wisdom and discernment are born. An awakening can occur, when one truly listens to another, with a compassionate ear.

Throughout the history of creation, we find that what matters most, is the Integrity of our Word. It is the ONLY thing we can carry with us and no one can take away, not even a persons judgement can deter integrity.

Integrity can build bridges, create masterpieces, change the direction of the wind, and sail around the world.

Integrity always starts with an idea, but it is the spoken word, which brings it to its potentiality of life. It is in the action which carries forward the integrity of the word spoken.

Integrity is brought to life, when we act from a place of service. We are in integrity by way of service, when we can provide service to others. Service to others occurs by means of who we are and what we bring, can be relied upon because of the unwavering quality of integrity. Such as the team of construction workers who show up on the job site everyday, to build a bridge.

Regardless of what we do in the world, an inner awareness & personal evaluation of our purpose and motivation behind words are essential to uphold the integrity in our service to others. If we choose to dedicate our life to service, we might ask ourselves these questions:

What is my purpose for doing this?

Who am I doing this for?

How am I showing another way for myself? and for others?

With contemplation, the answers to these questions always come after having experienced an epiphany, perhaps an Ah-Ha moment from discovering another way, or an opening of the mind from a conversation with another. Another way, which profoundly changes our way of thinking or way of doing something.

It is this expansion we experienced, in which we wish to share with others, with intention. Ask the inventor, who invented the chair. He may have invented it for himself, but by doing so, in finding another way, he affected change on a much grander scale, for many people.

Being in integrity with who we are in our service work, at a soul level, is like finding the missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle, or Lego kit. Where as, once the missing piece is placed in its proper position, it seems to all come together quickly. Therefore, it is integral.

Service to others is the ability to make a beneficial difference in the world because of who you are, and how you can show another way to be, or to exist and to serve with intentionality and compassion.

You just don’t know the difference you can make in someone’s life, when you show up in integrity, just as you are, the integral YOU, with compassion, understanding and a listening ear.

It doesn’t matter what you do in the world, as long as you come from the heart.

– Alexander Luria, Neuropsychologist

Inspired by “The Institute of the Advancement of Service”