HAVE THE COURAGE TO BE HONEST

e.e. cummings said, "It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are," alluding to the fact that courage is found in how each of us behaves on a daily basis and how we choose to interact with the world.

One of the most prevalent opportunities to be courageous is in our honesty with ourselves and our colleagues at — and through — work. How so? While many people attempt to divide their work and non-work selves, we are in fact the same person walking through any door. Our workplaces serve as "slices of our lives" in which we knowingly or not test, try and improve our intrapersonal skill — including honesty.

Situation: Another’s dishonesty creeps into your world

Picking up the latest issue of a professional newsletter, a colleague reads an article that includes concepts and language so strikingly similar to his own body of work that he can’t rid the notion of plagiarism from his mind.

Tip: Respond with integrity; maintain honesty through practice

Because another person’s honesty isn’t your responsibility, your focus should be on your response and practices that can help you maintain your own honesty.

Before responding to — or worse, reacting to — another person, take the necessary time to consider your intentions and the result these might bring. To discern the most productive response, compare your intentions with your vision for yourself, your hoped-for effect on others and your desire for authenticity. Through this thought-full exercise, you’re better able to maintain your vision and authenticity — being honest with yourself — rather than making an emotion-filled decision that you might come to regret.

For the longer term, ensure that you have practices in place that allow you to maintain honesty. A strong foundation is in allowing time to recenter yourself on what’s most important so that you’re able to be the same person regardless of your "audience." (Dishonesty often rears its ugly head when we’re shifting our behaviors and thinking to something that were not.) Recentering practices can include traditional meditation, walking, reading and mind-mapping. The point is: Recenter yourself regularly so that your priorities — including honesty — are in the forefront of your mind, helping you to make purposeful decisions.

Want to browse more handy intrapersonal mastery tips? Check out our Mastery-Tips Archive.