Accessing An Extraordinary Life

Are you your word?

Let’s make this easy: are you your word with YOURSELF (let alone others). Do you follow through with the thoughts and words you state, publicly or privately…the things you say I WILL DO? Even the simple stuff? Because it really is so important in the creation of how your life looks and feels on any given day. And over time it can amount to you creating and inhabiting the world of the EXTRAORDINARY. This is where you want to be. You know this…if you’re honest with yourself.

But what exactly is Integrity?

The dictionary refers to Integrity as: ‘being honest and having strong moral principles’ and also; ‘the state of being whole and undivided’.

With respect to you, this aligns closely to you being self-honest. When you are whole and undivided, this means you’re able to see when you are NOT being your word; when you out of alignment with a state of balance and harmony. It means you have an excellent BS monitor. This is a good thing.

Not being your word – even on the little things – builds a subconscious profile as well as a conscious one. For example, say you’ve stated you’re going on a two- week diet and you last three days before you tuck into that box of chocolates or choose the ice cream as a cinema snack. And then you conveniently brush it off as a slight lapse, go another day or two, then lapse again…and somehow justify it in your mind or pretend this is okay. Well, it’s not. Here’s why: The fallout and payback from lots of small and seemingly inconsequential ‘lapses’ of you NOT being your word can result in a type of inner lethargy; a gentle slide toward loss of self-belief; complacency; loss of passion, potency and motivation. It’s downright damaging to yourself – let alone others. And deep down, you know this, don’t you.

You can spot people with high integrity across a room. They stand out. These people carry high self-regard, presence…a kind of Mana that makes people sit up and take notice. They have impact. This kind of integrity doesn’t come from you asserting your will or ego – it comes from your INTERIOR being in strong alignment with your exterior, and this deeply affects how you show up in the world. You’re easier to respect because YOU respect you. You’re fundamentally trustworthy – you’ve proven this to yourself…most especially in the little things, like taking the trash out when you say you will; being places when you say you will, and doing the things you say you will.

You express your integrity every day through small and large deeds and actions that match your words, commitment and the human being you really and truly want to be…and ARE…when you align with that person. And when you do, YOU get to feel great about YOU! You connect with greater life force energy, wellbeing, passion and purpose. Life mirrors art and becomes the canvas you paint your glorious self on…with every choice and action.

There’s the odd thing to navigate regarding integrity. Your desire for it can be challenging for others and on occasion make you misunderstood or avoided. Never fear, this is a very handy filtering system for you. Additionally, it’s true that it’s not always easy to maintain integrity with yourself. Let’s face it, humanity have strayed a long way from the principle of integrity, leaving us with poor examples all around in society, government and the world. It’s become too easy to take short-cuts, eat McDonalds, skip exercise for TV, forego self care; it’s become easier to say it doesn’t matter, or ‘whatever’; to slide out of things, or throw in the towel and get away with it. The standards in humanity aren’t currently very high. But that’s no excuse. Before you complain about what the world looks like, take a good long hard look in the mirror and triple check that you’re operating in alignment with what you say you will do, and being who you say or think you are. Are you doing the things you say you will do…including the things you’ve quietly promised yourself that no one else might have heard you say, because that counts too – a lot more than you might realise.

All the tiny ‘LAPSES’ where you aren’t your word mount up over time. They cost you. They cost you big. They cost how good you get to feel about yourself every day…and over time this can become a disaster. Before you know it, you can feel…well…terrible, actually. Or you’ll develop physically low-energy, lethargy, or become down in the dumps. You can find yourself not liking yourself, irritable, or out of sorts with the world. But hey, just remember that it’s not entirely the world’s fault – you have some say in the matter. Because when you have consistent and strong integrity with yourself, when you build a person you’re proud to be, guess what? You get to have a say about integrity outside of you – in your relationships, family, community, humanity, and the world…just by route of Who You Be. You shift the benchmark on lackluster standards. People are more inclined to listen if you hold and honour high integrity with yourself. In the truly immortal words of the extraordinary soul, Mahatma Gandhi: ‘be the change that you wish to see in the world’. images

People with high integrity have no problem looking in the mirror. They like what they see. They know who they are. They trust their own truth and honesty because it begins inside of them. There’s great power in that level of authenticity.

So be that. Be INTEGRAL. Begin or improve it today. Take out the trash – inside and out – because you said you would, AND because it’s the RIGHT thing to do. Honour your word. That kind of human being is one you can live with, admire, respect and love. That kind of person will be your very best friend. And that kind of person has the opportunity to inhabit the realm of Extraordinary.

Louise’s extensive experiences and background have led her to become a visionary and inspiring Author, Storyteller and Life Coach.

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