Step #6 Live Your Life with Integrity and Honesty

There are far-reaching benefits of living your life with integrity, honesty, and credibility.

They play a large part in allowing anyone to achieve financial freedom.

It is well worth the effort to live your life this way.

While we expect these virtues in others, we often find it difficult to live honestly and with credibility in our everyday encounters.

• A recent survey by Starwood Hotels & Resorts showed that 82% of CEO’s admitted to cheating at golf. The same percentage hate others who do the same thing!
  
  
• We live in a society today that has bought into the idea that “Character, honesty and integrity aren’t really that important.” In fact, many would conclude that credibility and character put a person in a position to be taken advantage of! Nothing could be farther from the truth!
  
  
• The often admired and highly acclaimed company that could do no wrong... A well-known author wrote in his new book published in the year 2000 about one of the world's most respected and highly acclaimed companies.

  This company was so successful they were pilling up the awards and gaining world-wide recognition.
  
  

  • They were number 25 on Fortune's All-Star list of the world's most admired companies in 2000
    
    
  • They were number 29 on Fortune's list of the fastest growing companies in 2000
    
    
  • They were named five times to Fortune's list of the most innovative companies from 1996 through 2000
    
    
  • They were twice named as one of the one hundred best companies to work for in 1999 and 2000
    
    
  • They were named by Forbes Global Business as the world's leading power company in 1999
    
    
  • They were honored as having the best Sales force in America by Sales Marketing Management in 1999

    And the awards went on and on...

    Do you know what company this is? ENRON! This admired company lost it all ... everything the leadership and employees achieved was gone ... over a lack of character and honesty!

  
  
  
• The example of Babe Zacharias
  
  Major General Perry M. Smith tells in his book, "Taking Charge" about an incredible woman, Babe Zacharias. Babe was a champion sportswoman in the 1932 Olympics.

  Babe, later a professional golfer, once penalized herself two strokes after the round she was playing was over. The penalty cost her first place in the tournament.

  Why did she do it? It turns out; she had accidentally played the wrong ball.

  Later on a friend asked her why she penalized herself when no one saw it and no one would have known.

  Babe simply said, "I would have known."

  Babe willingly paid a considerable price ... because personal integrity was more important to her than winning a golf tournament. Integrity was at the very core of who she was!

  We need to ask ourselves ... is integrity at the center of who WE ARE? Do we do the right thing when no one else is looking and no one else but us would ever know?
  
  

• Credibility is established as a pattern over a long period of time . . .

  MJ and the referees...

  An NBA referee recounted this true story about Michael Jordan. During one close game, Danny Ainge, playing for the opposing team against Jordan and the Bulls, made a shot near the 3-point line. The officials only gave Ainge two points for the basket since none of them was sure he was beyond the arc.

  During the next timeout, one the referees asked Jordan whether the opponent's shot really had been a three-pointer.

  Jordan, without hesitation, indicated that it had indeed been beyond the line. The officials then corrected the score and awarded Ainge the extra point.

  Solely on the strength of Jordan's personal integrity, the game officials changed the score of the game. In this case ... Jordan did not do the more beneficial thing ... he did the right thing!
  
  

• Simply stated … “Character matters!” There is a direct and undeniable link between financial health and character and integrity. You simply cannot have one without the other!
  
  
• Universal principle that others will judge us by . . .

  “If you can be trusted in small matters, you can be trusted in larger ones … and if you cannot be trusted in small matters, you will not be trusted in larger ones”

Post this to the bathroom mirror!

The temptation to “cut corners” and act dishonestly is often present! However …
a lack of honesty and integrity will rob us of financial health.

So, what do we do now?

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