Letter from a Mother’s Heart. 21.02.19
Integrity is invaluable for a High Achiever.
Dear High Achievers
Integrity is such a vital, critical and invaluable virtue for a high achiever and I thought to myself we should dwell on it a little further. For I have seen and heard many people who have fallen short of achieving their life dreams because they lacked integrity. Incidentally we need to work hard at the values we would like to have as our identity. William Walker Atkinson his book; The Secret of Success in the chapter where he talks about having an attractive personality he says that you need to work hard on those values that will describe your personality. This implies that if we are going to be acknowledged as men and women of integrity we need to put in effort to do the right thing irrespective of what people around us say or do. I have learnt in life that you do not have to believe everything you hear and should not to do things that go against your conscience because other people are doing them. If an act is wrong; it is wrong and that is it.
Many times what people say are mere falsehoods trying to create a false impression and put you down but the truth embedded in you should always prevail. The book of Acts chapter 24 verse 16 the Apostle Paul says that “I strive to have a clear conscience void of any offence toward God and toward men.” He was a great Godly man yet he talks about striving to have a clear conscience. Indeed men and women of integrity strive to keep a clear conscience because there is always temptation knocking on your door and you choose to say NO if it is wrong. The ability to say no to any falsehoods should be our guiding principle never to compromise our conscience. An innocent and clear conscience will forever be our greatest support amidst all falsehoods and will uphold our integrity.
Below is a story that inspired me about a young man whose integrity was put to test. This can happen to any of us the secret lies in the power of your integrity.
A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.
He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.” The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued, “I am going to give each one of you a seed today – one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil. He so wanted the seed to grow. A year went by and the CEO asked the young executives to bring their plants to work for inspection.
When Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot, she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful – in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He asked Jim to come to the front of the room. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer — Jim!”
Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. “How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.
Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.
“All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, because of his integrity he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”
The truth is all the other officers as they were talking about their plants they knew it was a huge lie. Though Jim did not anticipate the outcome he stuck to the truth. If you plant integrity and honesty, you will reap trust. The truth will always prevail. So dear High achievers I implore you today never compromise your integrity. Be mindful of your actions and think through the consequences of your actions. So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
I wish you a great week and God blessings and to our candidates profound success.
Quote of the week
“Integrity is the essence of everything successful” – Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster Fuller was an American architect, systems theorist, author, designer and Inventor. He published more than 30 books. He was born on 12th July 1895 and died on 01st July 1983. He is remembered as one of the greatest minds of his time.
