What does it look like to live in integrity?
...hint...it involves using the word "no"...
What does it look like to live in integrity? What does it mean to live from a place of knowing who you are, and by contrast, who you are not? How does living in this way inform the way you move through the world, interact with people, and connect with them?
Gracefully, courageously, intentionally, consciously, gently, and compassionately.
Hearing the word “no” does not mean that you are any less you.
Being told “no” is not a reflection of you, your worth, or your value - ever.
Saying “no,” however, is.
Saying “no” is recognizing who you are, what you value, what you love, and what you don't. It is not a reflection of the receiver, but of your own integral truth...or at least it should be...
Sometimes we say “no” from a place, not of love, but of fear.
Fear of change, fear of being honest, fear of admitting what we want, fear of not having enough, fear of having to really take a good long look at ourselves. Fear of anything and everything.
When we hear a “no” that has come from a place of fear, it can hit differently, land deeper, and trigger an emotional response. It does this because a fearful “no” carries with it the undertone of unease, a hidden chord which our own bodies know the sound of all too well.
If we try our very best to live, act and make decisions from within our own integrity – a place where we are aligned with our values, our Tao, our path – then we will be able to say “no” from a place of love. In this way, we will find compassion and grace for the ones that come our way from a place of fear. Acting and living in integrity does not mean we forget what it was like when fear was all we knew, but it does mean that we know that fear is no longer serving our true purpose in this life.
Receiving a fearful “no” with love Is one of the most graceful and compassionate things that we can do for those around us. It might not change the response, and it absolutely is not easy, but it will reflect love - both out towards the world and back towards our hearts - and who doesn’t need a little more love these days?
