Developing Personal Integrity

 

Personal integrity is the quality of being honest with yourself and others, and living a life that is aligned with your moral principles. Developing personal integrity requires examining your beliefs and value system, and taking conscious steps to behave in ways that are consistent with your personal moral code. Here are some ways to develop personal integrity.

•  Identify aspects of your behavior that require change. Reflect on your interactions with others in the workplace, at home and in social situations to determine specific areas in need of improvement. For example, if you are late for work every day and feel guilty about creating excuses for this behavior, this may be an opportunity to develop greater personal integrity. 

• Determine your reasons for not behaving with greater personal integrity. For example, you may be pushing unpleasant work tasks on to other employees instead of being honest with your boss about your inability to do the tasks. You may be afraid to admit to yourself or to your boss that you do not possess the right skills or that the job is not the right fit for you.  

• Face the obstacles that cause you to lie or violate your moral code. This might involve finding a more suitable job, facing your fears about how others may perceive you and/or seeking out counseling to address emotional challenges and insecurities.  

• Practice truthfulness. Consider all of the relationships at home and work that will benefit from greater truthfulness. For example, if managing a team of employees, be honest and direct with each individual about your expectations and employee performance. Avoid backbiting or gossiping. Refrain from causing harm. Part of developing personal integrity is gauging when and how to deliver the truth. Be careful not to confuse truthfulness with anger-driven and brutally honest confrontation.

• Make a list of tasks and behaviors in which you will become more trustworthy. The list might range from basic tasks, such as taking out the trash as promised to repaying large sums of money in a timely manner.  

• Respect the property of others. Consider any complaints you may have received in the past about using another person's belongings, parking in someone else's parking spot or littering on another person's property. Make a concerted effort to respect other people's belongings.  

• Listen to and respect the opinions and decisions of others. Part of possessing personal integrity is acknowledging the human rights of others. Respecting diverse thoughts and decisions is a sign of open-mindedness and integrity.  

• Help others in need. If you are in a position to contribute to the development of others or help them to do something they cannot accomplish on their own, make an effort to assist.  

• Assess your progress. Developing personal integrity is a trial and error process that requires persistent effort. Ask yourself on a daily or weekly basis if you are making progress.  

• Enlist the help of others. Coaches, colleagues, relatives and friends who know you well and have your best interest at heart can assist your progress by providing objective feedback on a daily basis about the personal changes you are making.   

Expand your knowledge and enlighten your mind with the tools you need to excel in your life! Work with a Business and Life Management Coach with over 20 years’ experience empowering people to attain self-defined success in their professional & personal lives. Book a free session at www.denisedema.com today.

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Create the Best Environment for Success

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Success in any area of life never happens in a complete vacuum. Often it is just as much dependent on an individual’s will-power and intelligence as it is on their environment and outside circumstances.

To find happiness and success, you therefore need to pay attention and take some control over the type of environments you are surrounding yourself in on a daily basis; even the strongest and brightest of minds will find it difficult to achieve their goals if they are in a completely wrong environment for them. This is because every aspect of your external life has some influence over your internal thoughts and behaviors, especially the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis, and the type of places where you spend most of your time.

Time to look at the people you surround yourself with…..

The first main aspect of our environment that influences our success is the people we surround ourselves with on a daily basis.

For example, a recent study published in a 2013 issue of Psychological Science found that surrounding yourself with friends who are more self-disciplined can also help you become more self-disciplined. This is just one of many examples of how our social network can have an influence over our own behavior and goal-seeking.

It fits well with other research that shows if you hang around people who are unhealthy; it’s more likely you will become unhealthy on some level. And if you hang around with people who are lazy and don’t study for class, it’s likely you’ll end up with similar grades as them too. 

More and more scientific evidence is beginning to show that we become a reflection of the types of people we hang out with the most. This social influence affects every area of our lives: at home, at work, at school, at a party, or wherever.

So take a moment to think about some of your own personal goals and values. Are there any people in your life who are currently holding you back from achieving them? Be honest. 

Instead of spending time with people who are unhappy in life, spend time with people who make you love life and motivate you to improve yourself for the better. That to me is one of the most important characteristics in a healthy relationship. It’s also essential to achieving success. If you have the right people in your life, it’ll be easy to find that extra boost of support when you really need it.

Think about the work environment you spend your time at……

The second main aspect of our environment that influences our success is the places we spend most of our time at.

For example, one important factor that has shown to increase productivity and happiness is giving people some freedom to design their own workplace.

Taking ownership over where you spend your time allows you to choose an environment that motivates and inspires you. A good environment for success should keep your senses stimulated and awake while you work on your goals, while not being too distracting. 

I work with a lot of entrepreneurs who are challenged to stay organized and motivated when working from home. One specific thing you could do if you love the outdoors is to put scenic pictures, plants or a fish tank in your office to surround yourself with nature more. There have been countless studies showing how exposing ourselves to nature can improve focus, minimize stress, and boost cognitive ability.

Another thing you can do is decorating your workspace with motivational posters, quotes and affirmations. These can be great resources to have around the office when you need something to lift your mood. Find images that are visually appealing to you, with designs and colors that make you feel good and set the right tone for you and your goals.

Often times when working for large organizations we can lose a sense of our personal identity. Your office is usually the one place you have some freedom to express yourself, so create a work environment that works for you – something that reflects some of your own values and interests, and something that motivates and inspires you. Pictures of loved ones always make people feel happy.

You can also try changing your workspace around every few months or so to keep it fresh and interesting. On the surface it may not seem like a big deal, but remember this is the place you work at every day, so it’s going to have an influence on your success and inspiration whether you realize it or not. You might as well make it as positive as possible.

It’s about choosing an environment that brings out the best in you……..

At the end of the day, you can’t meet your full potential for success unless you find an environment that brings out the very best in you.

Try to become more aware of the people and places you interact with on a daily basis. Are they encouraging your success or discouraging it? How can you make some changes to your environment so that it better serves you and your goals?

Achieve your full potential and work with a Business and Life Management Coach who has over 20 years’ experience empowering individuals, executives and business owners to attain self-defined success in their professional & personal lives. Book a complimentary session at http://www.denisedema.com

Take This Relationship Assessment

Please answer the following questions with a yes or no to see where you stand in your relationship today.

I am whole when I'm alone; being with my partner increases my happiness.

I know my partner's most important values and share them.

I tell my partner the truth, even about the little details.

I respect my partner and do not insult or speak sarcastically, especially when I'm angry.

I'm doing everything I can to contribute to the success of our relationship.

I am fully present with my partner when we make love.

I am grateful for the love I feel in this relationship; my partner lifts my spirits.

I trust my partner as much or more than anyone else in my life.

As a couple we are attractive; people seek our company.

I have listened to my partner so well that I often know what s/he is thinking.

This relationship is completely consistent with my personal integrity.

I choose to be honest, faithful, and committed to my partner.

I listen to my partner fully' I don't interrupt or contradict my partner when s/he is speaking.

When I make a mistake, I say so, and apologize for any negative consequences.

My needs for closeness and independence are balanced in this relationship.

I have communicated my personal needs around sex and intimacy, and they are understood, accepted, and being fulfilled in a way which feels good.

Our relationship heightens my personal power, passion, and vivacity.

I am careful about what I promise; I don't set my partner up for disappointment.

________________________________________

Your Totals:   YES                    NO

How did you do? If you scored less than 15 in the yes column, Coaching is what you’ve been looking for.  Coaching is perfect to create clarity, self awareness and give you the tools to help you excel in your relationships.

Get on the right path to achieve your full potential! Focus on personal development to improve your life. Work with a Business and Life Management Coach who has over 20 years’ experience empowering people to attain self-defined success in their personal and professional life.  Book a free strategy session at http://www.denisedema.com

Create a Positive Mindset!

One Single Day Cannot Define You

One day cannot dictate the whole course of your life. Even if you feel it is the worst day of your entire existence, it is a small blip in the grand scheme of things.

What happened has happened – and it is over and done with. It is a small moment compared to the billions of choices and paths that lay in our future.

Real, sustainable growth is never sudden and rapid. Instead, it is growth that happens incrementally over long periods of time.
It is the small things we do on a daily basis that build who we become in the future, and the impact we leave on the world long after we’ve passed away.

Our minds are built to focus on significant events in our lives. When something makes us really sad or deeply disturbs us, our mind ruminates over it to find a solution or a way to cope.

Rumination is when we think about an event in our lives over and over again. Some psychologists believe it can aid in problem-solving, but when rumination goes haywire it can bring us into a state of depression. That’s because we are constantly thinking about something that we no longer have any control over. Thus, we feel powerless and hopeless.

We can overcome this negative cycle by changing our perspective. When you get stuck in these narrow patterns of thought, “zoom out” and see the bigger picture of your life. Change your thoughts from making it monumental to a moment that will pass. This will remind you that no single day can ever define you and your future.

Each day we make hundreds of choices. These each direct the course of our lives. And it is in these individual choices where we have real power and freedom over what our lives become.

Get the tools you need to excel in life. Work with a  Business and Life Management Coach with over 20 years experience empowering people to attain self defined success in their personal and professional lives. Book a complimentary session today!

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Become Aware of The Feedback In Your Life!

Our minds are a lot like a feedback loop.

We process information from our environment, we respond to it through our actions, and then we get new information back based on the effects of those actions. This cycle continues as we continue to adapt and change to new situations in our lives.

One key to happiness and success however we may define those terms, is paying attention to this constant feedback as much as possible.

When we do things that get positive feedback, we should continue to do those things in the future, because we know that they work and bring desirable results. And when we do something that gets negative feedback, we should change our course of action in hopes of getting different results.

However, some people try to ignore this feedback or they just aren’t good at being fully aware of all the feedback they get from their lives. They get stuck in their own ways, staying attached to old habits and old ways of thinking and believe those are their only options. Not because they actually worked or helped them live better lives but because that is all they know to do.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

The more you pay attention to the feedback in your life, the better you can adapt and change to your life in a healthy way.

We receive feedback in a variety of forms including but not limited to:

• The feedback we get from our actions. Does doing that thing bring you closer to your values and goals in life or further away?
• The feedback we get from people. Are your friends, family, coworkers, or whoever responding positively or negatively to what you do and say?
• The feedback we get from our bodies. Does eating that make you feel healthy or less healthy? Does doing that activity make you feel fit or less fit?
• The feedback we get from our emotions. Does doing that make you feel more emotionally stable or less emotionally stable?

Everything we experience can be viewed as a type of feedback. To make the most of this feedback we have to exercise both awareness and honesty on a daily basis. This is the beginning of knowing what needs to change in order to improve and grow.

The first step is to pay more attention to things we normally don’t whether it’s our emotions, habits, relationships, health, work, or whatever else it is that makes up the components of our lives.

Be a witness to your life to help build more awareness to your everyday thoughts, habits, and routines.

Once you learn to harness your awareness in one area it will become easier to apply that same focused awareness to all other aspects of your life. In doing so, you’ll become more attuned to the various forms of feedback you get every day.

Secondly, to make the most of your feedback you need to be honest with yourself as much as possible. If you always distort your feedback into something positive or negative and you don’t actually see what the feedback is truly communicating, then you won’t be able to respond to that feedback in the most effective way.

Be more aware of your actions and be honest about their effects because that is the beginning of knowing what is needed to improve all aspects of your life!

Get the tools you need to excel in your life! Work with a Business and Life Management Coach who has over 20 years’ experience empowering people to attain self-defined success in their professional & personal lives. Denise’s passion for personal development is at the core of her business and life philosophy and is committed to helping others achieve their full potential in order to live richer, more fulfilling lives. Book a complimentary session at http://www.denisedema.com to get started in reaching your goals today! Phone, on-site and e-mail coaching available.

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Ref: Emotion Machine