Jul 5 2018

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Integrity

September 2, 2016

1. Be hard on yourself.

If you’ve arrived at a place where you know you need to radically improve yourself because you’ve caused others pain—and are in pain yourself as a result—then you have a great opportunity to get leverage on yourself. This means using the mind’s unconscious but powerful system of motivation that causes us to move away from anything that causes us emotional or physical pain.

By not dodging the pain of your failure but instead allowing yourself to feel it fully and associate it with the behaviors you wish to change, you are programming your subconscious to find a better way, to avoid making the same mistakes.

And with enough programming, it will find a way.

Take some time to reflect on where you have let yourself or others down without the excuse-making you used to rely on to avoid this pain, and then resolve to improve.

2. Apologize the right way.

Just as you must stop yourself from using the past pattern of excuse-making when trying to create leverage against yourself, this is even more important if you have someone to apologize to.

An “I’m sorry, but…” is not a true apology. A real apology is simply and honestly, “I’m sorry.”

Another important part of an apology is to avoid promising the other person that you’ll give them the world to make up for the mistake. If you resolve to show them more respect by being true to your word, then avoid using too many words.

Related: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes

3. Stop overpromising.

If you lack integrity, one of your defining characteristics is overpromising and under-delivering. And you simply have to stop doing it.

Take note of every time you make promises that are hard to keep and analyze why you need to please people all the time. Practice saying no to things you know you will have difficulty completing. This isn’t about setting boundaries with other people so much as setting boundaries with yourself.

4. Strengthen your decision-making power.

Your personal integrity is defined by the power of your decisions. By power, I mean the capacity to keep the decision you’ve made in the forefront of your mind and keep it a priority. Practice making decisions with the end in mind. Start small.

When you remember that recycling needs to be delivered today, resolve to do that as soon as you get through the door. Then stick to it. Check your emails at a predetermined time and then close your laptop. Set reminders for things. The important part of this isn’t setting the reminder but resolving that when that alarm goes off, you will drop whatever you are doing and do it right then.

5. Develop a routine.

If you struggle to be on time and often find yourself scrambling to finish projects by deadline, you’re weakening your integrity. Time mismanagement causes a vicious cycle of letting people down and failing to stay true to your word. Your ability to maintain a routine tells people you can be trusted.

The best place to start is at the beginning of your day. If you can start your day the same way, then you begin to develop positive habits that will spill over into the rest of your life.

Here are some tips for using your morning to strengthen your integrity:

  • Blast yourself with cold water at the end of your shower. It jolts your mind and nerves awake and gets you ready for the day.
  • Consume at least one large glass of water and eat a healthy breakfast. You’ll need fuel to keep up your energy and productivity throughout the day.
  • Practice gratitude. Take just five minutes to meditate on or list things you are grateful for. It’s an incredibly powerful way to align you with what’s important to you. These thoughts are then reflected in your actions.

So if you want to step up and become a person who people can rely on and you want to stop letting others down, then well done. Just that intent alone is admirable.

Now follow these steps and start living in a way that you can be proud of and positively affects the lives of those you love.

May 24 2018

Tackling the tough stuff

Iowa Ladies Football Academy Fundraiser

This year I will be participating in a fundraiser for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.  I’ve been a student and/or employee of the University of Iowa for 22 years.  Part of my current job at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics involves providing administrative support to the children’s and women’s services nursing units at the Hospital.  Day after day we take care of their requests for supplies, equipment, staff appreciation events, children’s events and much more.  Seeing how hard they work and the immense impact that these nurses and other hospital staff have on children and their families is so inspiring.  I’ve accepted the challenge to participate in the Iowa Ladies Football academy, which raises funds for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. I know personally and have met many people whose lives have been positively impacted by the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. I have another personal connection to the university now, as well. This year my nephew, Tristan Wirfs became a Hawkeye Football player at the University of Iowa.  I look forward to getting a tiny taste of what his life on the football team is like, while at the same time raising funds for the children’s hospital. I would be immensely grateful for any donation that you would feel able to make to this wonderful event! My goal is to raise $500 or more. Thank you! Go Kids and Go Hawks!

Sincerely,

Julia Blake

Donation Form

Goal Status

Administrative Services Coordinator

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Children’s and Women’s Services

 

Oct 31 2012

Same hat, different year

For the time being, I have had no interest in buying, renting, or making any other costume. This glorious hat has been just the right thing to get me into the spirit for a number of years now. 🙂