Maintaining Integrity: Freedom From the Pressure of Others. ...............................2/15/12

      Good evening, 
I've lost my BlueTooth. Ugh. I realized today it happened on my bike ride on Sunday. I almost will die without it. 
      In the last couple of days I also lost two books. I've been studying it in depth for the past four months. Darn it. I've put in a lot of
time, writing notes in it. Now, they're gone. 
     When things like this happen, I know my life is unmanageable.When that is the case, I know life is telling me I need to slow down. 

*********************

      I'm tired and unable to write much today. That's okay. It's good knowing my limits. 

 My Gratitudes for Tuesday: 

1. I'm thankful I've learned to forgive myself when I lose things. Doing so ensures my emotional safety and well being.
2. I'm meeting with my oldest son tomorrow. We will work on developing my business. I'll need to be sharp mentally: he plans on grilling me. I'm thankful having someone co-laboring with me who also loves me. 
3. I'm grateful for my business. I enjoy what I do and the freedom it gives me.
4. I enjoy co-writing a novel with someone else. It's a change of pace from the normal stuff I write about. It's fun participating in the work involved when telling an in-depth story. 
5. I'm delighted to read comments and gratitudes from guests who drop by. It makes what I do here worth the effort. 

Maintaining Integrity

 Despite Pressure From Another to Cave In

     Sunday, I had a tragic conversation with someone dear to me. He had a mini emotional melt-down. I'm glad that I stayed true to my values, even though there was pressure for me back down. There was the risk of jeopardizing the relationship  if I adhered to my values.
     I've learned that it's important to be honest and maintain my integrity. If I have to surrender my values to keep a relationship, that relationship isn't worth it.
     Sure enough, the person hung up on me, because I saw things differently.  My response: serenity.  How a person behaves has nothing to do with me. Their reactions reflect their values and worldview. 
     I've learned to place principles above personalities, at all times. When someone gets angry because I disagree with them, I'm glad. 
     Really.
     Their reaction allows me to understand their values. They don't want me to make decisions based upon my principles. Instead, they want them made based upon their reaction to my principles. That is placing their personality above my principles. No can do.  

How About You?

What allows you to maintain your integrity? I look forward to hearing your answers.