Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Integrity is reflected in the alignment of actions, words, and thoughts. Everyone including those with strong integrity struggles with this alignment. If you decide to be a person of integrity, nothing changes unless you can live those ideals.
We encounter the conflict and challenges to our integrity throughout our life. Partly because life is full of decisions, and we do not know the outcome of making choices until they are made. And, of course, we all make mistakes.
We may consider George Washington, William Wilberforce or Mother Teresa as people with integrity, but they still faced difficult decisions and failures as often as you or I. It is certain that viewed their own integrity differently than the rest of the world viewed it. We cannot know the depth of the internal struggles they faced.
It is exactly for this reason that regardless of how others perceive our integrity, we must always be working to improve it. We should always check our alignment between our thoughts, our words, and our actions. We should always be grounded in our values. It is not something you can do just five days a week, or only on the weekend. It is a full time commitment.
I find that as I have aged, living with integrity has become easier. No longer am I as easily swayed by the activities around me. I am much stronger in knowing my values, and I am not afraid to live them. I know I am strongest when I am who I am, no matter where I am, or who I am with.
We all must continuously guard and grow our integrity. If not, we risk losing it.