By Marcia Wieder
America's Dream Coach
Integrity. It's the most critical attribute for realizing your dreams. When you live with integrity, dreams really do come true.
Integrity can be summarized this way: Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honor your word and agreements.
Yes, living with integrity sounds simple, but it's not always easy to follow through on. And when vastly overscheduled and under pressure, the person with whom it's most difficult to keep your commitments is, in fact, yourself.
As you practice upholding your values, you are given opportunities to show up or to sell out. When you are challenged, do you lose sight of what matters to you? Or do you have an internal voice that reminds you of the principles by which you want to live your life?
Putting your values into practice is convenient when life is running smoothly. However, doing it when LIFE(!!!) is punctuated with exclamation marks still remains a challenge.
If you are committed to a life of joy and abundance, a life filled with love, generosity and contribution, integrity is a must. Integrity creates trust and accountability. Surrounded by crowds, you can feel lonely if you're not true to yourself. Without integrity, you can have great wealth and still feel worthless. And lacking integrity, you won't trust yourself or have faith in your dreams.
Resolving Unfinished Business Keeps Integrity IntactWhen we leave things unresolved or incomplete, we compromise our integrity, sacrificing credibility to not only ourselves, but to those around us. You can recognize something as incomplete by how you feel about it. Is the matter settled? Do you worry about it? How is it impacting other areas of your life? On the other hand, when an issue is completed or resolved, you don't even think about it. There is no agitation or energy wasted. What often results is a clear peace of mind, the perfect environment for nurturing your dream. It's up to you to decide if something is incomplete or not, but it's difficult to focus on future dreams when you are consumed by your past. Unfinished business can be notorious and contagious, as one setback leads to another. Buried under mounting annoyances, we can feel lost, afraid or confused. Take Jake, for instance. He didn't pay his taxes for two years. The IRS put a lien on his assets, so he was labeled a bad credit risk. He couldn't buy a house or rent an apartment. Eventually he lost his credit cards. He was caught in a downward spiral that also undermined his confidence and self-esteem. Similarly, Linda let her parking tickets pile high and never got around to paying them. She became afraid to drive her car because she worried that she might get towed. Concerned about driving to work, she eventually lost her job. A small detail led to a bigger concern, which led to an even worse outcome.
Carol had a room in her home that she called the "Black Hole." It was filled with the clutter that results from putting things off. Procrastination can be a very messy thing indeed. Since she and her husband were trying to sell their house, she knew it was time to tackle that project. She came up with a "to-do" list of over 100 items. The list included returning things she had borrowed, writing letters, even mailing back an inexpensive bracelet she had stolen from her local drug store when she was a teenager. It took some time and effort, but with each task she completed, Carol felt lighter and freer. Within a few weeks of completing her list, they easily sold their house. Completion creates freedom. Minor responsibilities and inconveniences, when tackled and faced early on, can easily prevent future disasters from rearing their ugly heads -- just don't wait to find out the hard way. First StepsThis powerful process of exploring what's been left unsaid, undone or incomplete in your life is one of the most awesome things you can do to free yourself and have more access to your dreams. If undertaken to the best of your ability, this may be the most profound thing you have ever done. Use the formula below as a guide to scrutinize each area of your life. The areas to explore include (but are not limited to) your body, your mind, your home, your work, your finances and your personal relationships (past or present).
Write down what makes you feel incomplete in regard to anyone or anything. List what you need to do to feel complete. Complete as many items as possible.How do you complete something? You may need to write a letter or make a phone call. In order to move past a painful experience, it may be necessary to forgive someone or to declare, "It's over." Some items might require creating an organized timeline to get your arms around what could be a wiggly and cumbersome proposition. Just do your best to get rid of anything that is weighing you down, starting small if you have to. Removing literal or figurative clutter will give you greater clarity and energy for the things that are important to you. As you complete what you can, feelings of pride, accomplishment and peace of mind can motivate you to take on even tougher endeavors. Free to move forward, you can tap into the flow of life, with your integrity accounted for. The more your life is in order, the faster and easier your ability to manifest dreams will become. It's just that simple. Marcia Wieder is the author of Making Your Dreams Come True and www.dreamcoach.com or by calling (800) 869-9881. - - - - - Have a question for Marcia Wieder, America's Dream Coach? Ask it here. Want more career advice? Subscribe to the ThirdAge
Source: Money & Work
