It’s curious to me the thoughts that pop into my head as I am putting on my mascara, or especially as I am driving to work, or driving in general. An incident the other day got me thinking hard about Integrity.
You know that feeling in your gut when you have said something, yet you do another? For me, it’s like a knot tying tighter and tighter the longer I am out of integrity. I believe that uneasiness, that Dis-Ease, is one thing that contributes to disease.
What is integrity? Google says this:
in·teg·ri·ty
inˈteɡrədē/
- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. “he is known to be a man of integrity”
- the state of being whole and undivided. “upholding territorial integrity and national sovereignty”
For me, being in integrity means that my words and my actions match. That requires honesty, transparency, and commitment to doing the right thing. It’s no small order. When you commit to something, you follow through. That means don’t over-commit.
I like to under-commit and over-deliver. It’s oh so very important to me that people can trust my word. How else can I trust others if I am not trustworthy? And often that means saying NO, not committing, under-committing, or backing out because you over-committed. It sounds backwards, but it will relieve a lot of stress in your life if you acknowledge your limitations, or that place in you that says, “now is not the time for that.”
As I have embraced this concept and practice in my life, things have shifted, and it hasn’t always been easy.
My marriage ended, my job changed, I took on more education, I embraced old parts of me, and shed others. I took on new responsibilities and jobs. Some friendships died, and others blossomed.
The more I embrace living in my truth, the more ease I have in my life.
I am a pharmacist by profession. I am also a dancer, a poet, a blogger, a mom, etc, etc. My profession pays my bills, supports my daughter and myself, keeps me at the forefront of healthcare, and ideally keeps me mentally engaged. Well, I realized shortly after graduating from pharmacy school how messed up our healthcare system is in this country. No diatribe needed. I think we all know that most medication will not cure your ills. It prolongs the inevitable and brings on more dis-ease. It is typically a band-aid, and a poor one at that. In fact, they used to call what pharmacists do “Disease State Management”….sound sexy and appealing? Would you want to do that day in and day out?
That realization put me on a slow and arduous path toward a way of using my skills and knowledge to help others help themselves. It started with the loss of my job and 5 months of unemployment. At the same time, I lost my home and was looking at living in a shelter on Maui with my young daughter. It was rough, but I knew it had to happen. I knew there was something better on the other side.
What was not authentic in my life was falling away. Nature abhors a vacuum, so goodness spilled right in.
I believe our medical system DisEmpowers patients. It puts the power and knowledge in the hands of the provider and does not seek to educate patients, nor to empower them to make their own healthcare decisions.
I am fiercely independent, and I believe everyone has the right and the ability to make their own decisions, with the right information and someone to teach them how to be their own advocate.
That is why when I learned about Beautycounter, I was instantly drawn in. This is a company whose whole mission is based on Truth, Beauty, and Transparency.
I have been and continue to choose to align myself with people and companies who are in integrity. It’s a daily, lifelong process of aligning myself with Truth. I just got my first shipment of Beautycounter products today…. will let you know how it goes.