Is This The Right Thing To Do?
If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it— Marcus Aurelius
A simple question. Yet one that should be asked more frequently.
Operating with integrity is figuring out what the right thing to do is and then actually doing it. It’s simple in principle yet very difficult in practice.
It’s not about whether someone will see your action, what you do. Or if you’ll get caught. That should be beside the point. It’s about how you want to operate as a person. It’s about your own internal scorecard. The values and principles that you want to live by.
So why is operating with integrity difficult in practice?
Sometimes it is just not convenient. So we bury the feeling.
Sometimes it hurts to tell the truth. So we brush past it.
Sometimes it means enduring discomfort. So we distract ourself.
The next time you get a queasy feeling that something doesn’t feel right, let the feeling rise. Maybe there’s something there.
Ask yourself, Is This The Right Thing To Do?
