As we step into our roles as men of integrity, it becomes natural for us to live by our own internal code of ethics.  A set of values and standards from which every decision, every situation, and relationship stems from.

What is integrity?  It is defined as "Steadfast adherence to a code of values; completeness and soundness; virtue. I define it as being "true to the wholeness of one's own Self".

"How can we develop our own code of ethics, our standards of integrity, to guide our life? 

The following is a workshop to uncover your own standards of integrity from the book "The Energy of Money" by Maria Nemeth.  It will take approximately 10 minutes, at the end of which you will have your own personal set of standards to live by for the rest of your life. 

Step 1: Take out a clean sheet of paper.  On the left side, write down the names of all the people who have qualities you admire.  The following is a list to help you brainstorm.

• Family; cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents, siblings.
• School; teachers, mentors, classmates.
• Friends; from childhood, work, school, clubs.
• World Leaders; spiritual, political, professional.
• Athletes; professional, Olympic, from your school.
• Healers; doctors, practitioners, psychics, therapists.
• Musicians & Artists; actors, singers, dancers, rock stars.
• Fictional; from movies, stories, religions, cultures, books.

Step 2: Review the list. Look at the first name on the list and write down all the qualities that you admire in that person, one per line. Then go to the second name, and write down all the qualities you admire in them. 

If there are any qualities that they both share, simply put a check next to that quality.  Don't worry about having the qualities line up next to the names, just write them all out.   Do this for each name so that certain qualities begin to have lots of check marks next to them.

Here is what it will look like:

Step 3: Now that you have a list of all the qualities you admire.  Look at each quality for a moment and consider the following:

When I read this word, does my heart seem to tingle or open?  Do I get excited and want to be around people who have this trait? 

Your heart is your guidance system.  When it finds anything that resonates with your inner being, it will light up and give you that exciting blissful feeling inside your chest. 

So, for each word that gives you this type of reaction, put a star next to it.  When you are done, write all the qualities with a star on the new sheet of paper. 

Step 4:  Review the list.  Each quality that you've put down is highly significant to you.  Your heart reacts strongly to these qualities because it has receptor sites for each one. 

You have these qualities within you. 

If you didn't, then your heart would not react to them.  Because you can see these qualities in others, it means they exist inside you.  These qualities describe your authentic nature. 

Step 5: Print the list on a card.  At the top write "These are my Standards of Integrity" and at the bottom write, "I know these are mine because I can see them in others." 

You can laminate it and carry it with you or place it in on your work desk.  If you feel stuck, confused, or unmotivated, re-read it.  These words will evoke power within you, your seeds of greatness.

Stumble it!

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11 Responses to “How to Uncover Your Standards of Integrity”

1. Tuplad Says:
   October 28th, 2007 at 5:11 am

   Wonderful post Ryan!

2. Gallivanter Says:
   October 28th, 2007 at 10:23 am

   Nice one!

3. Bart Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 6:47 pm

   I really like the line, “I know these are mine because I can see them in others.”

   I suppose it’s easier to see things objectively in others than ourselves, and I also tend to believe that we tend to project ourselves out psychologically.

   Whether my reasoning has merit or not, your idea does. Keep writing!
   – Bart

4. Ryan Says:
   November 1st, 2007 at 10:22 pm

   Thanks guys.

5. Dezzo Says:
   September 13th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

   This has been such a helpful post for me so I thank you very much. I really appreciate the list of people and other touches of genius. You have really done some piece of work here. Thank you.

   I’ve even explored further with this by creating my own unique characatures for each quality I find admirable. For example, I value “proactive determination and resilience”, but I give this quality a kind of character by calling it “The Practical Dreamer”, sort of like an archetype. And, like an archetype, it can be used for communicating with and learning lessons. This is just something to I’m playing around with. I feel like I’m too into it now lol it’s just so great.

   Thanks again.

6. Ryan Says:
   October 16th, 2008 at 12:44 am

   Dezzo, glad to hear this post helped. Cool to hear you are taking the ideas and running with them, seems like you are creating your own system, good stuff.

7. Psychic Readings Says:
   August 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am

   Great post thank you, I have also sent this to twitter hope it helps you with traffic.

8. Pam White Says:
   April 13th, 2011 at 11:57 am

   I find your article very informative. A very good take on the subject, keep it updated.

   Pam White

   My last blog: Kim Kardashian Credits Her Fame to Raj J

9. Numbing Cream Says:
   April 18th, 2011 at 7:51 am

   A well written representation of knowing one’s self better. A lot of people are still on the verge of discovering themselves and this is one good practice

10. Anti Acne Cream Says:
    May 14th, 2011 at 12:47 am

    Do you really have to list them down to get the answer or solution to the equation? My point is, you sit,relax,and mingle with your thoughts.

11. Rachel Says:
    May 24th, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    I like how you write ‘seeds of greatness’.
    First, nothing starts from big things already, every success does indeed come as a fruit of labor. Also, pen is a good instrument to start your thoughts clearly.

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