Practice What YOU Preach

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you were a child, did your parents ever say to you: "Do as I say, not as I do"? What type of message did this send to you? This week, we wanted to talk the importance of actually Practicing What You Preach.

As adults it is so very important to lead my example. You must be willing to 'walk the walk' if you're going to 'talk the talk'. People, children specifically, are always watching, and more importantly, learning by your example. There are a lot of people that look up to you! Think about your family, your circle of friends, and your co-workers.

In coaching, we refer to this as living in your INTEGRITY. Your integrity is who you are when no one is looking. It is your personal set of standards that you abide by. In essence, it is your Code of Ethics!

When we raise our standards and live within our integrity, believe it or not your life becomes way less complex and stressful. Decisions become easier to make and life becomes more satisfying. Why? Because you are living by YOUR code, and you are doing what is right and good for you. You have your own definition of right vs. wrong, and you don't compromise.

Another important aspect of living in integrity is that you know when you are wrong, and you are able to accept full responsibility for your actions. No more pointing fingers and placing blame on others. We are all humans, it is OK (and expected) that we occasionally err! When we live our lives in integrity, we accept this fact and actually learn from our mistakes to make us better people.

When we teach our children to live in integrity, we are also giving them powerful tools to guard against peer pressure. They have learned that it is OK to not *go along with the crowd*. Everyone is created with an invisible internal barometer. It will tell us when we are not "in" our integrity.

You know the feeling you get when you are doing something that isn't quite right in your book? That is your barometer telling you - "Hey! This is not in your integrity! Don't do it!"

When we live our lives in integrity, we are allowing ourselves to grow and evolve into the unique and special people we were intended to be. So, go ahead and Practice what you Preach! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Leah and Jen