10 Reasons To Live a Life of Integrity.

You might think that it’s a no-brainer why one should live an honest life.

But it’s apparent to me that a life of integrity is the exception rather than the rule.

How many people do you know who are honest all the time?

We could make a case about the morality and the “rightness” of living honestly.

 Religious leaders have been advocating this for thousands of years.

It’s doubtful that even they could provide a true model of integrity.

I believe in the moral and ethical value of integrity but I also think

 there are very practical and worthwhile reasons for living an impeccable life.

Here are ten:

1. Trust
In order to be successful in business or hold a responsible job,

a person must have a reputation of honesty.

 Resources are not entrusted to people who have proven themselves as

 untrustworthy.

2. Good Health
I have no research to support this, but I’d be willing to bet that

 people who tell the truth are healthier. They have less concern,

 less stress and feel better about themselves. This has to translate into

 better health.

3. Pride
I’ve yet to meet a liar who has any real pride in themselves.

 Any good leadership training will stress the importance and value

of having pride in what you do and who you are. If your reputation

is grounded in deception, your opinion of yourself is poor indeed.

Being honest just plain feels good.

4. Peace of Mind
If you cheat on your income taxes, you may get away with it,

but you’ll probably always worry that you’ll get audited and face

 fines, extra charges and even jail as a result.

Your reputation would also be tarnished. When you deal honestly,

you have peace of mind. It’s impossible to worry and be happy at

the same time.

5. Remembering
It’s been said that no one has a good enough memory to be a good liar.

When you don’t tell the truth, you have to INVENT it.

When you do, you’ll often be asked to recall your rendition

of the truth, and you may not be able to do so because you forgot what you said.

You KNOW the truth, but you can’t remember your version of it.

Very embarrassing. Besides, it’s hard work to continually come up with false stories.

6. Good Sleep
If you lie — unless you have no conscience at all — you’ll often

 lose sleep because of your fears of being found out.

 Your worry and your guilt will keep you awake. A good night’s sleep

is one of life’s many pleasures and honest people sleep better.

7. Confidence
Many people have excellent “bull” detectors. They know –

at least at some level — when you’re being fake.

If telling lies is your modus operandi, you know that these

people will often see though your fa?ade. There’s no way to

have real confidence in oneself when you’re walking on “bull.”

8. Good Relationships
Relationships are the jewels of our lives. Some would argue

that relationships ARE our lives. And breeches in trust are

the death knell of relationships. When trust is gone,

there is no foundation upon which to build. Relationships lacking in

 trust seem hollow and shallow. They lack joy.

9. Legal Problems
We don’t have to look very far to see the legal trouble

people get themselves into from dishonesty. Lying in a

 court of law or to an officer of the law is literally AGAINST the law.

 Conversely, if you have no secrets, you can rest easy and

its hard for anyone to blackmail you.

10. It Doesn’t Work
All too often our deceptions and duplicity are discovered.

In the information age in which we live, it’s even more likely that

lies will sooner or later be seen for what they are. Dishonesty is just plain inefficient.

The right thing to do is seldom the easy thing to do. But it’s worth it.