What does integrity mean to you?

The most common definition of integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. It’s a great definition and can serve you well in life, but what about self-integrity?

Self-integrity is not based on external commitments to those around you, but to yourself. It’s centered on the question, how well do I keep the commitments I make to myself?

Commitments that you make to yourself are just as important, if not more important than those you make to others. While breaking commitments to others will break their level of trust in you, breaking commitments with yourself erodes trust in yourself, which also leads to a decline in self-confidence.

It’s easy to break commitments you’ve made to yourself, especially if you haven’t shared those commitments with anyone else because essentially you’re performing in private and not in public. And when no one is watching it’s easy to give yourself an ‘out.’ But the ‘outs’ add up and make for a slippery slope.

Self-integrity is all about doing what you’ve told yourself you’re going to do. It’s about commitment and holding yourself accountable. And once you get in the habit of keeping your commitments to yourself you’ll experience and feel your confidence grow.

So the next time you make a commitment to yourself, stick to it. And yes, there are always exceptions and of course, if it’s not working for you then you’re allowed to change your mind, but make it the exception and not the norm. Remember, keeping your commitments to others is great, because they’ll think well of you, but keeping commitments to yourself is even more important, because what and how you think about yourself will determine how you live the rest of your life.

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