A friend of mine called for some advice. The content of her situation is somewhat outside the scope of this forum. Suffice it to say that there was a moral component that was giving her some trouble.
She wasn't sure what to do. One option would cause someone else emotional pain. Another option wouldn't hurt anyone, but would require my friend to be courageous and centered and strong in the face of her own feelings.
As I was giving her my opinion about what she should do, she stopped me at one point to say, "What was that?"
"What?", I said.
"What did you just say?"
I said, "Lead with integrity."
All of the people that I've come to know on this forum seem to me to live this idea without ever having said it. Do the right thing. Put your best foot forward and keep faith with your own self.
In this case, my friend thought she might be able to do what she wanted without ever paying any consequences. In other words, she might not get caught. I thought she should act the way she would if she knew, without question, that her actions would be found out and would come back to her in the long run.
Essentially, this is what I believe happens immediately, in your own psyche, when you break with your own integrity. It is what John Lennon called Instant Karma. Your life is the sum of your choices. You are living them now.
In the long run, which is just a series of steps between here and there, the only thing that counts is your integrity, so
Lead with integrity.
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