Today is a soapbox day. If you can’t handle it, you better go now.
I’m talking about integrity today. Integrity, which The American Heritage Dictionary defines dully as “the state of being unimpaired; soundness…the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.”
Here’s how I break it down. (Cue Vanilla Ice beat.) Integrity means being true to the best person you can be, the best version of yourself, instead of wimping out and drifting along, hoping one day you’ll get yourself together. Look, you’re contained in one body, right? How much more together can you get?
we are masters of excuse. (me, too.)
That doesn’t mean we are excused. We can jump loopholes to mentally justify our wrong choices, but that doesn’t make them any less wrong. We all want to blame the outcome on the circumstances, but we can’t, never entirely. Because always there is more to us than instinct and circumstance. Those are the animals. How hideous of us to try and fit into their kingdom when we belong to another. How many vain philosophies were invented to keep us there, with the animals, but just the fact that we feel a need to philosophically rationalize that position should tell us that the position is wrong.
the top two excuses
Fear and laziness blind us. Fear and laziness are blinders, masks. They bind themselves to us so closely that they seem like our own desires, preferences… We don’t consciously say, “I desire/prefer to be lazy and fearful” but the flesh sees anything that requires risk or work and says, Oh no that doesn’t sound fun. Eeeeew.
And so we start thinking that’s just not for me, I’m not that kind of person, that’s not what I’m into…
But that’s why character counts. We need to overcome those character flaws because that’s what they truly are. They’re not part of our personality, our soul, our best self.
“We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and courage to stop what we shouldn’t do.” -Richard L. Evans
Laziness. I’m seeing it in myself and trying to overcome it. The sleep thing. The I-need-time-to-chill thing. The I-just-can’t-focus-right-now thing. The default to taking a nap when I’m overwhelmed by what needs to be done. The million projects that are always unfinished and the guilt and burden of that hanging over my head.
Laziness is a choice, and a cowardly one at that. Laziness has a profound, negative impact on the quality of my life in almost every area. Frankly, I’m just tired of it. I’m frustrated by my own bad habits. Sometimes frustration is the key to change.
Fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, a stubborn unwillingness to take a risk, to put yourself out there where you might fail. Well. Here we are, and we can all get introspective and self-diagnostic and cuddly on the psychiatrist’s couch. Helpful? No.
So I have an inferiority complex. So I like to think the worst about yourself and hide behind that self-pity. Life is moving on with me, and without you. Get over it, grow up, face your fears. Every moment you don’t increases the negative effect on the people you love. Find out who you are in Christ. Put aside the fear of man. Take action. Action is the antidote to so many negative feelings and consequent cycles. Doing something, trying and failing, is admirable. But doing nothing is cowardly.
slaves of stress? or buddies?
Do you know what stress is? The best definition I’ve ever heard came from this book. Here’s my paraphrase: stress comes from knowing the right thing to do but doing the wrong thing instead.
Stress comes from knowing who you are, knowing what you’re capable of, knowing the visions and calling on your life, but choosing to slide down and live at a lower level instead.
Here are four words I never want to hear again: “I’m so stressed out.”
I have no sympathy. Sorry. Sure, there are some situations which are out of your control and which will impact you and cause stress in your life. Those are the exceptions. 90% of the stress in our lives is self-induced. We allow it, we invite it, we entertain it, we become buddies with it, we hide behind it, we cuddle up with it.
Don’t tell me about your stress unless you can also tell me, in all honesty, that every morning you wake up and you do your best, you choose to be disciplined, you choose to do what you know is right for who you are, the best version of who you are.
Then we can talk about stress, but I bet you won’t have any.
Soapbox speech over.
Annie climbs down, looks around, feels awkward and mean and cruel. Hopes you understand. Hopes you get it. Hopes you see her heart here.
Image courtesy of
MonsieurLui.