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Honesty and Integrity for Personal Growth

Updated on May 12, 2012

Honesty and Integrity - The Basis of Personal Growth

Integrity and honesty are some of the values that are very important for personal growth. The concept of integrity has always intrigued me, compared to which, the concept of honesty I think is relatively simper. Honesty is to speak and act as truthfully as you can. The dictionary defines integrity as “wholeness, soundness, uprightness and honesty”, which is what I always assumed integrity was, but the concept of integrity takes on a different and deeper dynamics as you delve into it. The word "integrity" is from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). Integrity would then mean a sense wholeness, from being honest, truthful and true to oneself, pointing to greater consistency of character.

Honesty and integrity - Meaning

It is easier to be honest than to be a person of integrity. Integrity, to me, means that I need to be whole and united in my thinking, action and speech and even within myself. These last few years, as I have been delving deep into this concept of integrity, I realize that somehow, even though we try to be honest, at a deeper unconscious level, there are other agendas and a different levels of thinking, which we are only faintly aware of. As an individual, I need to be integrated and wholesome, so that my words do not contradict my thoughts and my thoughts don’t contradict my beliefs and what is deeply seated in my mind. This brings to mind William Shakespeare’s words, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." Integrity is that characterof a person that does not allow for him/her to be dishonest to himself or herself and to others.

Integrity - The Power of Words


How often do we say something while we actually mean something else? For example, we tell a person that we care about them, but how much of this shows up in our actions? Do we really put the interests of the other person first, or do we care more about ourselves and what we do? Sometimes, we say that we believe, but we allow doubts to come and assail us about that same point of belief. We say we speak the truth, but we speak relative truths. We may or may not be fully aware of these things, but they do happen within every individual. Are you a person of your word? If you are trying to answer this question and dig below the surface you may find that it disturbs you. Integrity is how we act whether we are in public purview or alone, what thoughts we entertain in our innermost being.

Integrity of Spirit, Soul and Body- Self-awareness for Self- Growth


As for me, I desire that not only my thoughts, words and actions spell integrity but every level of my thought process be saturated in integrity. This is difficult, considering the fact that our sub-conscious mind is working on different experiences from the past and have their own logic and agenda. Honesty is more concerned with the conscious mind, where you know exactly what you are doing. To be integrated as a person, integrity of thoughts is necessary. I really need to know why I am saying the things that I say. I need to know that every word that I say means exactly what it is supposed to mean, and every action of mine reflects this integrity of thought. For this, I have to be truly aware of myself, my thoughts, my thought-processes and their deep-seated source. The spirit, soul and body need to be integrated, united and every thought, word and deed needs to be an expression of this internal unity. If my physical/ material needs dominate me and make demands on my thought processes, my soul and my spirit slowly start towing the line even though my belief systems are different. However, if my spirit is strong, it can and actually should rein in my mind and my body into obeying what I believe in. This is what integrity is all about. Even though this sounds so easy, the mind is so devious that it often finds escape routes to circumvent issues and do what it wants to do. This calls for our awareness of a higher kind and the ability to control your body and your mind to function in tandem with your spirit or your higher beliefs.


This concept may not be acceptable to everyone, but it has been something that has me captivated and I am striving hard to put into practice in every sphere of life. Personal Integrity is what makes a person dependable or reliable and honest /truthful. Integrity also brings with certain gifts, even if you do not seek them, the respect that you get from people around you, the trust that you earn, the peace of mind that seems to fill you are a part of the same package. I seek integrity, for it is the birth place of self-growth, a place from where you can start your journey of self improvement. I would love to progress further in this journey of self-growth and self improvement and I am sure that you may want to be there too.

I do definitely hope that someday my spirit, soul and body work in tandem and in perfect unison with each other. that would be the day when I would consider myself as being true to myself in every way possible - that would be what integrity is all about to me.


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