Popularity or Integrity?

Popularity or integrity? We can’t have both. In fact, the more outspoken you become with your message, the more you’re going to receive negative feedback.

Just those of you who are parents I know can relate to this! Whether you oversee a team at work or a team at home (or both), think about some of the decisions you’ve had to make. Think of the ones that you know weren’t going to be popular, among your kids or your team or your friends, and think about why you’ve made those decisions. It was likely because of something that you believed in deeply and that ultimately you believed would be of the biggest benefit to them. When something’s beneficial for you – truly beneficial – it’s beneficial for everyone. The more that we act in integrity, the more that these types of beneficial decisions are made.

Sometimes there’s a transition though, a point where we feel like we’re rocking the boat if we make decisions like that. Sometimes there are turbulent times we have to go through to get to the other side if we’ve been on the popular track for a while, but the other side is always better.

In order to be able to make decisions with integrity versus popularity, there’s one thing that has to be in place. You have to know what you value, your core beliefs, what’s important to you. For me, one of those values I have is truth. I believe in aligning with the truth. I believe that knowing the truth will make everyone better off than hiding from the truth. So for me, that’s a benchmark to always refer back to. If I’m faced with a decision that involves being popular or standing with the truth, it’s a no-brainer. I’m going to stand with the truth and I’m going to allow what’s unpopular to be there.

If we get our confidence, sense of peace, and self-esteem from looking inside ourselves and acting in alignment with what we know in our hearts, then it’s ok whether someone likes us or not. Of course, it doesn’t feel good not to be liked, but it’s not going to matter. If we refer within, whether someone likes us or not is not going to move us off of our value system, beliefs, our desire to serve others through those beliefs.

We need to think about some of the recent decisions we’ve made, and gauge ourselves. Where are we on a scale of 1 to 10? Am I making decisions out of popularity (a 1) or out of integrity (a 10)? Maybe there’s different areas of our lives where we’re in different places. Maybe with our group of friends we’re sliding more toward popularity, but at work we’re in integrity. Is it situational? Is it consistent? Is it at a place where I want it to be? Are there any situations gnawing in the back of my mind that just don’t “feel right”? It’s not too late.

Ultimately, acting in integrity is going to draw you more into the life that you want. The universe knows what you stand for. If you’re going for popularity, what you stand for is going to be all over the board, so your results in life are going to be all over the board.

I go a lot more into this topic in my course, but also in my free 5-Day Mach 22 Challenge. The challenge also discusses this idea of really knowing your core beliefs and values that you want to express through your life. So, if this is a bit new for you, or if you’re ready to recommit and reevaluate, then please go to my website home page and opt in to the challenge there.

Take some time today to look at any areas where you’re more concerned with popularity than integrity. Commit to bringing those areas to light, making shifts, and seeing the results.