INTEGRITY

If I could teach everyone only one value to live by, it would be integrity.

Integrity is crucial in all aspects of life: professional, personal, social and spiritual. Yet, so many people lack it. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody’s watching. It means being true to yourself.

Integrity is a consistency between a person’s inner values and attitudes and their outward words and actions. The more consistent we are, the higher the degree of integrity we possess.

Those that live with the value of integrity are honest, trustworthy, fair, show respect, accept responsibility, and have courage. The best way to guard your integrity is to decide in advance that you will never sell out or surrender your integrity.

The road to integrity is not an easy one but it’s the only one worth traveling. Integrity is essential if we are going to become people who positively and powerfully impact others.

People who demonstrate integrity draw others to them because they are trustworthy and dependable. They act with honor and truthfulness. They treat people equally and take responsibility for their own feelings and actions.

A word of advice to those who are striving for a reputation of integrity: Avoid those who are not trustworthy. If someone is dishonest in any aspect of his or her life you can be guaranteed that they will be dishonest in many aspects of their life. It is important to realize that others pay attention to those you have chosen to associate with, and they will inevitably judge your character by the character of your friends.

So, surround yourself with people of integrity. That makes sense, doesn’t it?!

~Mary Beth Iannarella

GirlTalkMarlton.org

 “Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.”

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Persistence is the Key to Success

Courageous persistence is the one quality more than any other that can guarantee success. And success is something we all want, isn’t it? But to be successful takes persistence. Whether you want to lose a few pounds, get an A in a class, or any goal that you want to succeed in, you need to be persistent. It is the difference between a successful outcome and a failed one due to giving up.

The definition of persistence is the quality that allows someone to continue doing something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. This is not something you do with external goals, but it is something you do internally. And I know all to well, in the face of pain, agony and defeat, it is difficult to stay persistent.

When getting starting on your vision to success, identify your wants and desires. It is when you know the WHY, you can get a source for inspiration and keep yourself motivated. Next, figure out HOW to get what you want. This makes it easier to achieve it. Make your goals actionable daily and follow through.  All your goal-setting and planning will go to waste if you won’t be able to develop discipline and good habits. Be confident in your work that you WILL achieve what you want.

Know and accept that there will be obstacles and setbacks; then prepare for them. Nothing important was ever accomplished without adversity, setbacks and difficulties. One of the ways you can prepare for setbacks and obstacles is to anticipate potential problems and have a contingency plan.

If things do not work out the way you hoped, then review the steps you took and the process you followed. Reevaluate by examining what went wrong and where. Be very flexible and experiment to see what techniques and strategies worked best to get where you want to go.

Think of Michael Jordan, a former American basketball player who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and won the Most Valuable Player Award five times. He was cut from his high school basketball team for not being good enough! “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I am so successful.” Mr. Jordan tells us in plain English that the key to his success was persistence.

There will always be people who will tell you something can’t be done, your product or service won’t succeed, you aren’t good enough, and so on. Stay away from naysayers; instead seek advice from those experienced in your field of endeavor and those who want you to succeed. They can assist you by making suggestions and recommendations based on their experience and expertise. You will still have to do the hard work, but there is nothing more encouraging than having positive reinforcement.

The key attitude to achieve great achievement is to be persistent on making progress. You will face challenges and obstacles, but the payoff comes when you refuse to give up. If your goals are not achieved today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year – persist, because being persistent will pay off after a while. Success will come to those who have the courage to want it.

My wish for you is to have the courage to take that first step toward your dreams and be persistent in following that goal to success.

Mary Beth Iannarella

Girl Talk Marlton/The Wishwall Foundation

http://thewishwall.org/desideri/persistence-is-the-key-to-success/

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it -Michael Jordan