Who is That Person in the Mirror?

By Debra Kessler

How we act when no one is looking is a good indicator of what we are made of. Do we have integrity? Are we morally sound? Is honesty in the forefront of our thoughts when we are faced in any situation? Every day we are tempted to face our self image and decide will we compromise our beliefs and values.

It is said that it can take as little as two weeks to make or break a habit. It is amazing how fast one can destroy a lifetime of integrity. When one lives by a belief system, our actions are guided by it on a daily basis. Our integrity or character will keep us from going out and hitting someone with our car because we value human life. And in the same vein we wouldn’t wake up and quit our jobs because we didn’t feel life going to work.

I realize that these examples are extreme and one could ask who would do a thing like that. You’d be surprised. We do not just wake up one morning and decide to not be honest or have good character. The slipping of our character starts in a series of small steps. It is so vital to keep ourselves in check to keep that from happening.

Have you ever noticed that the bad guy looks like an ordinary person? In the movies, the guy gets caught and tells the police that he never set out to embezzle a million dollars from his company. He thinks he is not a bad person. His character slipped and he failed to keep is integrity in check.

Yes, staying true to our integrity filled belief system is a twenty-four hour job. We come under fire when we least expect it. Something will happen and it could be that pivotal point that pushes us over the edge of staying true. It is like seeing that man who drops his wallet. Do you pick it up and give it back or keep it, thinking that he should have been more careful?

Situations like these are the defining moments. We have the right to chose to do right or wrong. Each little decision changes us. We must always keep our thoughts in line with our integrity. If we chose to comprise, a little more of our integrity is chipped away. It becomes easier to give in each time.

We must continue to look at ourselves in the mirror. Do we want to be labeled a hypocrite? Are our principles becoming less concrete and fluid? If we have compromised it will be hard to regain our integrity especially around those for whom we compromised. But with the help of understanding and trustworthy people, our self-image can be restored and we can begin to rebuild our life.

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