Integrity

My favorite word is YES. Ha, big surprise. My next favorite is integrity. I think it's a sexy word. Of course people who actually have integrity are the sexiest. But when I looked it up, Webster's didn't mention the sexy part. Webster's defines integrity as:

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire. 3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.

Integrity isn't a quality to be applied when convenient or some of the time. We either have integrity or we don't. Ironically, most people are OUT of integrity when they say they have it. To truly embody integrity, our lives have to be clean in every aspect, all the time. Selling out on our dreams is being out of integrity but that's nothing compared to not following through on what we say we'll do but don't. If you have to break your word (it happens), be accountable and get straight about it. People will remember. I once read a book titled, "How you do anything is how you do everything." That may seem a bit fierce but at the end of the day (and it's YOUR day), having integrity makes life easy.

Be your word. You'll be so sexy.

What others think of you is none of your business

Great title. But, I can't take credit. It's actually a title to an excellent book I read a few years ago. "What others think of you is none of your business" taught me a vital lesson in life that, looking back, gave me the courage to do what I'm doing now. I remember the moment I "got it."

I was in a spin class where my favorite instructor was playing some of my all time favorite music. My mood was great, energy off the charts and the music was loud, just the way I like it. I felt so good I wanted to sing! Literally sing along (out loud) to the songs she was playing. But, I looked around the room and got scared. Everyone was so serious about their workout, not one smile. What would they think? No, I can't sing, they'll think I'm nuts. It's funny, you know when you're WITH someone that it seems more okay to be yourself than you would when you're alone? Like, in a movie. Ever been to a movie (sans a friend) and you want to laugh your head off at something funny but you don't, because you're alone, so you only a laugh a little? Totally cheating yourself, right? Okay, you get it.

So, there I was, in a spin class, working hard, sweat dripping, heart racing, feeling fantastic and wanting to sing but frozen because I was too afraid of what the others might think? Crazy! And, enough. I closed my eyes tight, squinched up my face and silently thought, "What others think of me is none of my business. Again. What others think of me is none of my business," and low and behold, I began to sing. Me! It felt so good! It took so much courage not to open my eyes to see who was looking at me but I didn't. I just kept singing. I can't even remember which song was playing, probably Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama," lol, but that's not the point. What matters is that I fully expressed myself and gave up on what others may or may not be thinking.

That moment changed my life. I became more confident, more comfortable, more myself. The only way we can ever Quit to Win is by being TRUE. And, the only way we can do that is by letting go of what others might think if we dare to.