Integrity is your capacity to approach life and experiences as honestly as possible, to live true to yourself and to uphold your own moral and ethical code... even when no one's watching!
Personally, I’ve never met anyone with more integrity than my dad, Barry.
He uncompromisingly upholds his values in everything he does, even if it means working an 80 hour week or never taking a ‘sickie’ in his life!
Be like Barry…Just do it while you travel instead!
It is simply not possible to travel in the modern world without the help of others. There are so many systems and social structures that are functioning in the background to allow you to catch that connecting flight, or eat that meal. I have found that overwhelmingly, people show kindness in the ways they have greeted and welcomed me and it was often when I was at my most vulnerable that people really helped and guided me.
Some might call it luck, and I wouldn’t discount an element of that, but I also know that what you put out, you often propagate around you.
Kindness returns kindness,
integrity attracts integral people.
As you travel, try to present yourself truly and honestly.
Ask yourself, “What are my values and ethics?”
Travel can often be strange and confronting, yet it provides endless opportunities for you to challenge your existing beliefs, adapt to new environments and evolve as a person. With it’s transformative nature, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of yourself while you travel, or not truly live up to who you want to be.
That’s ok… we all make mistakes from time to time.
What this principle is trying to instill in you is NOT that to maintain your integrity you have to rigidly adhere to your strict moral code, but that your moral code evolves as you absorb more information, perspectives, people, cultures and places.
At its core should be a foundation of who you wish to be (e.g. someone who doesn’t steal), and you should endeavor to uphold this foundation regardless of where you are, who you’re with or what you’re doing.
However, the road can be tough, and the ways of people many and varied.
There may be times you stray, there my be experiences that change your mind, there may be people that gift you a different perspective that ultimately reframes or reorganizes or completely reimagines your moral code.
All these things are fine, even when you err in your ways, because they are part of the journey that leads you forward. What’s important to remember is to be forgiving to yourself when you make mistakes and try to take ownership and attempt reconciliation if those mistakes negatively affect others. Most importantly though is to learn from such errors, as well as from those you meet, the experiences you have and the places you visit. Hopefully, over time, you will become the person you truly wish to be and be able to uphold it as much as possible.
Be fair, pay locals and don’t try to haggle them down over pennies.
Your honesty and integrity are your greatest assets, as it is through these that you can engender yourself to local communities as someone foreign to their land but respectful of their ways.
Challenge: Show integrity
Honesty is easier to achieve because your always honest to another person, meaning that (hopefully) the guilt factor precludes you from being deceitful.
Integrity is much harder to maintain.
Integrity requires that you are honest even when no one is looking.
You can show integrity in many ways, and I’ll leave it up to you to decide what your principles are and how you will stand by them.
This challenge is small and simple.
The next time someone gives you the wrong change, correct them, and give them back the extra that you got.
They don’t lose out and you’ll feel better having ticked off your “good deed for the day”.
