While we typically relate integrity to morality, I want to speak about integrity along the lines of living your truth or walking the path you were meant to walk. You see, we all came here to sing our own songs so to speak, and if we’re not doing that, if we’re not actively pursuing our purpose and exploring our gifts, talents, abilities, etc. then this creative energy that we are stuffing and suppressing will begin to manifest as sickness and disease and just give us more distractions in our lives. When we are living “out of integrity”, this will show up in our lives as discord and disharmony. This is not punishment by any means, but rather an invitation to look at the areas in your life where you can show up MORE.
Many of us were conditioned with beliefs handed down from our parents (who had it handed down from theirs and so on…) that we must follow a set path in life. For the most recent generations, it’s been immediately figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life and it best not be based around what you enjoy, but rather what will bring home the largest paycheck. We must go right off to college, get married, have children, put away for retirement, work most of our lives for very little while making others very wealthy, only to have the very last few years of our lives to “enjoy as we wish”, when our health and minds are on their way out??? NO THANK YOU!
While I firmly believe you can live in integrity while having a 9-5 and live a full and happy life following the American Dream, what I’m getting at is if the beliefs that shaped your entire life are not originally your own, then you cannot truly say you are living YOUR truth. You must at some point in your life (and the Universe, God, Source whatever you prefer to call it has a funny way of getting us to look at things we must in order to expand and grow), be willing to face your fears and sit down with your innermost shadows…those darkest corners of your mind and Soul. For it is here where your greatest light will emerge. Light is information, knowledge, wisdom, expansion, growth. You will know if you’ve done that by asking one simple question…”Am I happy NOW?”
While I do believe that we are initially born IN integrity, conditioning by society forms layers within our subconscious that help to develop our elusive, yet vital persona, the Ego. I previously wrote an article entirely about our friend, the Ego and how if used properly can be a vital tool for navigating your emotions as well as seeing where there is healing required in those deepest parts of you. While the Ego is our greatest mental trickster, once we learn its games, we can turn the tables and train it to work FOR us, rather than against. Check it out here: Learn to Work With the Ego…
When we make commitments, whether they be to ourselves or to others, our Ego will often justify our excuses if when the times comes to honor the commitment, we “no longer feel like it”. When we break commitments, this energy takes us completely out of integrity because the resonance of our word (our essence, our energetic stamp) is diminished in value. If we make a habit of breaking commitments, we will eventually have energetically created a “Cry Wolf” scenario where people will just stop asking you to do anything at all. Meaning, if you continually talk about wanting to get out more, and get invites all the time that you commit to and break last minute; people WILL stop inviting you because they won’t take you seriously…about wanting to get out more because well, you make every excuse not to! 
Authenticity: The Art of Knowing Who You Are and Being Brave Enough to Live It…
What I think can be even worse is breaking commitments to ourselves as this usually comes with a huge layer of guilt and a breach to our self-esteem. For those of you who are cereal self-sabotagers like I used to be, you know what I’m talking about! But when we learn to identify the Ego’s tricks, they are easier to not fall for. One key thing to pay attention to is this…whenever you are about to have a major breakthrough, your Ego will do whatever it can to distract you and prevent it from happening.
Think about that; are you acting out of character? Did well for a week and now you want to quit? That’s the ego telling you to give up (you’re not worth completing this goal!). It will fight to the death to avoid change, it is what it does and it does it masterfully!
So, just keep this in mind when you want to guilt trip yourself after falling off your diet, etc. I’m not inviting you to be an enabler to yourself and not hold yourself accountable and responsible for your own actions, but to just be aware of your motivations and to be kind to yourself. You can correct course and come back to center without tearing yourself down and be dragging yourself through the mud every single time, trust me. 
And as we develop good habits with the help of knowing how to work with our Egos, we begin to see how naturally we are living in integrity because doing things that are good for ourselves and others feels amazing and are things we want to stay committed to and follow through on. The rewards are so fulfilling that we are fueled in our hearts by the cycle of flow; give and receive…the balance necessary for living a life of integrity.
Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor/Writer for CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. She is an avid lover of all things Quantum Physics and Spirituality. Connect with Tamara by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com
Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.
Follow Tamara on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
This article was originally created and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Tamara Rant and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.
