Author:
Valery Satterwhite

Copyright (c) 2009 Valery Satterwhite

“This above all; to thine own self be true.” – William Shakespeare

What is integrity?

What does it mean to be in integrity?

If you look up the word “integrity” in the dictionary you will learn that it comes from the Latin word, “integer” which means “whole”. Integrity is an unreduced or unbroken completeness, wholeness, totality, incorruptibility. It is an unimpaired condition and the quality or state of being complete and undivided. Integrity is found in a state of being who you are and, allowing others the same right.

When you are “in integrity” you are in alignment with who you are at your deepest core; your truth. In any area of your life where you struggle your thoughts and actions are out of integrity, you are not behaving in alignment with who you are.

“The voice within is what I’m married to. All marriage is a metaphor for that marriage. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from. That’s my true partner. It’s always there. And to tell you yes when my integrity says no is to divorce that partner.” – Byron Katie

To live in alignment, in integrity with who you are you:

Speak what you know to be true even if it may cause conflict. Ask for what you need and want from others. Behave according to your personal values. Make decisions based on what is true for you, not the beliefs of others. When you are in integrity with who you are, life flows seemingly effortlessly. When you are acting in ways that are not in alignment with your truth you don’t feel good. You may be frustrated or upset. You may think less of yourself and beat yourself up over the choices you have made.

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” – Albert Camus

You continue to create your experiences through the thoughts, emotions, choices and actions that you take. Be mindful of your daily thoughts. Are they in alignment with who you are? Be mindful of what words come after your sentences beginning with “I am”. As an artist, for example, if you notice that you often say to yourself, “I’m not creative enough”, then you are out of alignment. You are not in integrity with who you are. And it is in this state of being out of alignment that you feel that you are not enough.

I’ll state it again because it is that important: You continue to create your experiences through the thoughts, emotions, choices and actions that you take. If your thought is “I’m not creative enough.” then you will create more experiences of not being creative enough. When you notice a thought that is out of alignment turn it around. Change “I’m not creative enough.” to “I’m a creative person in the process of creating.”. Truth is, you are a creative person – albeit a creative person holding herself back at the moment with a misguided, out of integrity, thought. Be mindful of what you say to yourself and others. Be mindful whether or not those statements are in or out of alignment with who you are. Think and act in integrity with who you are and observe how your life transforms from one of struggle to creative flow.

Every day you make a bajillion choices. Stay in bed for another few minutes or get up and greet the day? Start or continue to work on your project or act upon a distraction? Fries or Salad? Go to the audition or stay home? Promote your work or give up because of ‘the economy’? Plastic or Paper? Yes or No?

Choices require decisions. A state of indecision is a decision. Is there a decision you are about to make that might be in conflict with your integrity? How can you tell if a decision is out of integrity with who you are?

It’s simple, really. Just ask yourself a few questions and you’ll know whether or not the decision you made is in integrity with who you are.

How do I feel about the decision I just made? Do I think more or less of myself having made this decision? Is this decision based upon ‘should’ or ‘supposed to’ beliefs of others? Is this decision in alignment with my greater good? Who will I be having made this decision? “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, ‘Something is out of tune.” – Carl Jung

If you genuinely care about what you create for your future and want to live in authenticity with who you are you must take responsibility for your thoughts, emotions, decisions, actions and outcomes, which result in your experiences. Honor your soul with choices that are in integrity, in alignment with who you are.

Make sure your words and your actions are congruent. Know what you know. Know that you know what you know. Know that you know what you know what you know. And be true to that knowingness. Your internal wisdom. Your intuition. The Wizard Within.

“Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.” – Don Galer

Pay attention to what you say to yourself and others. Be mindful whether or not those statements are in or out of alignment with who you are. Think and act in integrity with who you are and observe how your life transforms from one of struggle to creative flow.

Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual and performing arts how to to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique “Inner Wizard” methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. To learn more go to

http://www.InnerWizard.com

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Article Source:
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Integrity: Essential to Effortless Creative Flow