Excellence and Integrity

It seems to me that these words are not foreign to most people. I asked my students today what the work excellence means and they said things like, "When you do something very well." "goodness" "perfection" "being sucessful". They are right this is a part of excellence. I feel confident that if I were to ask them what integrity means they would give me answers that would define integrity. So if a bunch of junior high students understand these words, it is safe to say that most people probably understand them. I don't think people have a problem with word meaning. They have a problem with taking those words and applying them to the way they live their lives.

Living your live with excellence means challenging yourself to be the very best person that you know how to be. It means that you treat others with kindness and respect. It requires you to examine your short comings and learn from them. It means that in the face of adversity you stand strong and fight. I don't think people know this. They say they understand excellence but you can look at this world and see that there are lots of people fooling themselves. I don't want to be one of those people.

Integrity is when you do what is right not matter if someone is watching you. People who have integrity keep their commitments. They don't lie, they don't cheat, and they don't walk around full of pride. I aspire to be a person of integrity.

This is what I am learning now. I am learning what it truly means to strive for excellence and pratice integrity. This is what I want to share with the world around me.