Integrity: Doing The Right Thing(even when no one is looking)

by Michael Corthell

What is the right thing to do? That is a very difficult thing to know sometimes. But whatever that right way to go is, it should always be our own decision. You need to own it.

Good people know that genuine, true, integrity is doing the right thing even if no one is going to know that you did the right thing. 

Looking good is not better than doing good. And bragging cheapens the goods. Be a leader who does the right thing regardless of popularity and which way the wind is blowing.

“It’s not hard to do the right thing; in fact it’s easy. What’s hard is knowing what the right thing to do is. Once you know that, and believe it, doing the right thing is easy.”

— Ben Kingsley in the ''The Confession.''

Doing the right thing involves decision. Sometimes, there is no good or ideal decision, we have to choose the better of two that are either painful, or seemingly wrong.

A good person will not do the wrong thing just to be liked. We must make the best available, right decision, and when we do, even when it is unpopular, we will be respected for being a person of principle — of integrity.

Don't be like the narcissist who cares about looking good, but coyly avoids the tough decisions, or, even worse, makes the wrong ones. Be a leader who thoughtfully struggles evaluating what the right thing to do is, and then does it, no matter how difficult, how painful or how unpopular it might be.

You will never regret it.

___________________

Paving the Path to Integrity, Peace and Happiness

We face choices daily—as individuals and communities. Both consciously and instinctively, there are things we believe and care about in these choices. Integrity happens when our commitments and actions match. When this happens, we feel good. When it doesn’t, we feel pain. Pursuing integrity as life unfolds requires being able to understand the world, analyze what should matter and make choices that match: skills of critical thinking. As limited, fallible creatures, effective critical thinking requires the ability to collaborate: skills of pluralism. The path to integrity, to peace and happiness, for us and our children alike, requires building these skills.