VICTIM OR VICTORY: Your Choice
PART II
First of all, thank you for participating in the discussion. I have to say, these are some great answers. Remember, the purpose of this journey is personal victory. With this in mind, the answer is YES. There is such a thing as the wrong set, or right set of values. Now, before you come unglued, hear me out. It all depends on where you want to go in life. If you WANT to be behind bars, and you are- then you have the right set of values for you. They would be the wrong set of values for me, but I am not interested in living YOUR life. You may think your set of values may not have you where you want to be, but if you lived in the 1800’s they would work. Get my drift? I am not where I ultimately want to be, but in my value system, I know I will ultimately be exactly where I want to be. In order to have victory in your life, you not only must have a value system that is going to get you there, you need to be able to identify it. Many times we give lip service to our values, but don’t make decisions based on those values we claim to have. By the way, did anyone write up his or her schedule yet?
I is for Integrity
How would you define integrity? I often hear people say that integrity is who you are in the dark. I find this absurd. Who I am in the dark is exactly who I am in the light. Same me. Only my atmosphere has changed. Usually they then clarify and say that integrity is whom we are when no one is looking. Okay, so how is this integrity? This isn’t integrity. This is character. Character is who you are. In order to have integrity, you MUST have and be able to identify your value system. Why, you ask? Integrity is standing up for something you know to be right, even if you must stand-alone. Integrity is standing up against what you know to be wrong, even if you must stand-alone. Having integrity is tough, very tough. Integrity can cost you your job. Integrity can cost you an election. But without integrity, you will always fall “victim” to your surroundings. True personal victory can never be achieved without integrity.
C is for Courage
In order to have integrity, you must have courage. See how all of this is building upon itself? Courage is not the outside appearance of being strong. Courage comes from within. Again, courage can cost you, yet without it, there is no genuine personal victory in life. It takes courage to demonstrate and act out integrity. We have all found ourselves in need of courage and integrity and I, for one, have fallen short of acting out my values due to the lack of both. The cost of having integrity and courage will never outweigh the cost of NOT having them. Sooner or later, it will catch up to you. Sooner or later, as Martha Stewart can attest to, you will find yourself somewhere you were not planning to be.
Now for the next assignment. Where do you want to be? Make a plan. Write it down. Where do you want to be in 6 months? A year? Five years? Write it down. This is your blueprint. This is what you WANT your life to look like. I am a firm believer in having a blueprint, but I am also a firm believer in doing it in PENCIL! Things change. Life can throw you curves, fastballs, and even give you a base. Make sure that when you are swinging, your eye is on the ball; but always be willing to consider that the base coach may change his signals, and you must be willing and able to change your plans.
First of all, thank you for participating in the discussion. I have to say, these are some great answers. Remember, the purpose of this journey is personal victory. With this in mind, the answer is YES. There is such a thing as the wrong set, or right set of values. Now, before you come unglued, hear me out. It all depends on where you want to go in life. If you WANT to be behind bars, and you are- then you have the right set of values for you. They would be the wrong set of values for me, but I am not interested in living YOUR life. You may think your set of values may not have you where you want to be, but if you lived in the 1800’s they would work. Get my drift? I am not where I ultimately want to be, but in my value system, I know I will ultimately be exactly where I want to be. In order to have victory in your life, you not only must have a value system that is going to get you there, you need to be able to identify it. Many times we give lip service to our values, but don’t make decisions based on those values we claim to have. By the way, did anyone write up his or her schedule yet?
I is for Integrity
How would you define integrity? I often hear people say that integrity is who you are in the dark. I find this absurd. Who I am in the dark is exactly who I am in the light. Same me. Only my atmosphere has changed. Usually they then clarify and say that integrity is whom we are when no one is looking. Okay, so how is this integrity? This isn’t integrity. This is character. Character is who you are. In order to have integrity, you MUST have and be able to identify your value system. Why, you ask? Integrity is standing up for something you know to be right, even if you must stand-alone. Integrity is standing up against what you know to be wrong, even if you must stand-alone. Having integrity is tough, very tough. Integrity can cost you your job. Integrity can cost you an election. But without integrity, you will always fall “victim” to your surroundings. True personal victory can never be achieved without integrity.
C is for Courage
In order to have integrity, you must have courage. See how all of this is building upon itself? Courage is not the outside appearance of being strong. Courage comes from within. Again, courage can cost you, yet without it, there is no genuine personal victory in life. It takes courage to demonstrate and act out integrity. We have all found ourselves in need of courage and integrity and I, for one, have fallen short of acting out my values due to the lack of both. The cost of having integrity and courage will never outweigh the cost of NOT having them. Sooner or later, it will catch up to you. Sooner or later, as Martha Stewart can attest to, you will find yourself somewhere you were not planning to be.
Now for the next assignment. Where do you want to be? Make a plan. Write it down. Where do you want to be in 6 months? A year? Five years? Write it down. This is your blueprint. This is what you WANT your life to look like. I am a firm believer in having a blueprint, but I am also a firm believer in doing it in PENCIL! Things change. Life can throw you curves, fastballs, and even give you a base. Make sure that when you are swinging, your eye is on the ball; but always be willing to consider that the base coach may change his signals, and you must be willing and able to change your plans.
posted by Straight Up with Sherri at
6:43 PM
4 Comments:
Okay, now this sounds like Bush. Talk about standing alone. He may be ridiculed by every public facet in the world, let alone the UK' but he still shows up to the UN and delivers speaches that amaze me! Sherri, thank you. You hit the key. I was just reading, not paying attention. Now, I am going back and writing these things down. I think my life is just fine. No VICTIM complex with me. But now I can see that I may not feel like a victim, but I am not been applying what you have talked about. Where could I be if I did? I don't know where you are headed, but I want to go there, and can't wait to see what's up for tomorrow. Thanks Sherri.
You know who, in OHIO!
By
Anonymous, at 9:20 PM
I confuse easily! I really don't use a lot of the same thought processes as most "normal" people. You know that I believe it is just a choice to be organized, in the traditional sense, with lists and goals. The problem with measurements is that you get what you measure, not what you want. Highly organized scripts are roadmaps to failure and disappointment. Keep in mind that stability is the opposite of flexibilty. Armed with a tightly controlled list of "whatever", you preclude dealing with anything outside your paradigm without first changing your list, your plan, or your paradigm (the 7 - 8 items in any specific instance that your mind can simultaneously handle that always define reality to you). In order to define victim, you must define control. You are a victim whenever someone to whom you have not voluntarily granted control over you usurps that power. I have fortunately never been a victim, even though I have been unemployed for the past 18 months (likely because of my integrity - I tend to work myself out of jobs by my success). But I have faith and know the Lord will look over me and the Holy Spirit will always grant me the exact amount of grace I need to handle this.
I believe that integrity is the strength to stand by your values, even under the oppression of things beyond your control. Integrity is the strength to place your values above your silly lists, measurements, and goals.
Courage is that strength to believe that you do what you must in spite of perceived dangers.
Sherri, as far as your planning goes, I respectfully believe that I disagree with you. I think that if you have the ultimate in integrity and the courage to implement that integrity, you are highly unlikely to achieve ANY plan with the exception of the one theological imperative. That's what really matters, isn't it? And it's not just a matter of changing pencil lines to guide your plans, it is a constantly moving target.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to mumble a lot.
RWNJ
By
Anonymous, at 12:04 AM
Click on my name to see how the "Victim or Victory" series ties in with fighting terrorism and fighting Democrats.
By
The Cassandra Page, at 10:06 AM
Standing up for something you know is right (even if you're standing alone) is a consequence of integrity, but it's not the whole of integrity.
Check out my wife's awesome essay on "integrity" at her blog.
Character is who you are. Integrity is being true to your character (which sometimes leads to standing alone for something you know is right.) It's bigger than just standing up for what you believe -- it's also being transparent to your friends, etc.
By
LotharBot, at 7:25 PM
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