Choosing Integrity Over Certainty

This week, we'll continue our discussion about ambition. If you listen to last week's episode, there might be some details that may not quite sit right with you. I will go ahead and address those today.

Last week, I shared integrity that led to outcomes and successes that I couldn't have imagined in my career.

You may be feeling skeptical about aligned ambition which aligns with our intentions, integrity, and authenticity that this one can reliably create success.

You may be tempted to write off my experience as just being a fluke.

Yet, in this episode, I want to talk about why you shouldn't rush to that judgment quite so today. I'm making a case for why staying in alignment is always the best choice.

Why is the brain so tempted to make compromises that skirt the fine line of our integrity?

Anytime we make a decision, we have a multitude of options on how to achieve that goal. Some of those options will seem to offer a higher likelihood of less than other options.

If the highest likelihood of success aligns with our integrity that's an easy choice. If it does not, that's when we have a problem.

Why is this a problem?

We have options between the best chance of success and the one that aligns with our integrity. This conflict causes our brains to freak out.

Why does our brain freak out?

It does this because more than anything else we want certainty.

We want it so bad that it will overlook and not consider any options. It includes the ones that are in our very best interest.

When I faced the decision to get what I wanted by staying in integrity, it created within me an internal battle.

I knew what the right choice was, but my brain threw a tantrum because it wanted certainty.

It wanted certainty that working in integrity would give me the outcome I desired.

My internal battle was between my intuition and my intellect.

My intuition knew that it was in my best interest, but my intellect could not see that. At least not with any reliable certainty.

Let's take a moment to look at what certainty is and what's going on for a lot of us.

Certainty is a guarantee that we will get the outcome we desire.

Yet, it is not the driving force behind the battle between our brain and integrity every time we pick an option that conflicts with our values.

It's because the option will give us more control over the desired outcome. Oftentimes, we will sacrifice our integrity for that control.

Here's the thing...

The amount of control that we have in aligned ambition and when we act to unaligned ambition is the same.

How can that be?

In reality, we only have control over two things in our life.

First, our perspective.

Two, our reactions.

That's all we ever have control over the rest of the control that we have. It's an illusion.

If you've ever had zoom go down on the day of your first webinar...

If you've ever had your Facebook ads account suspended...

Then you know that you have far less control than you think you have the pandemic.

It highlighted the disparity between what we thought we controlled and what we actually do control during that time

Things that had always worked for us in our business, weren't working anymore of a sudden.

On the flip side, things that had not worked in the past were getting results that were unseen before.

If we can't control the outcomes then we're left with a level playing field. The same if we won't have a guarantee that what we do will get us results.

If we have a level playing field...

Acting in alignment with our intentions, integrity, and authenticity is one option.

Acting out of alignment is another.

Why would we ever choose to take a path that wasn't in complete alignment with our values?

The truth is the success that we want will come to us.

How do I know this if we honor our integrity?

I knew this because as the two things we can control it dictates our perspective and reactions.

Those two things decide how we experience the path to success.

It means we get to determine how hard and easy something feels to us.

When we aim to enjoy the journey, a success that we are pursuing, then being in integrity is the best option.

The cognitive dissonance when we don't honor our values will always drain our energy. It will wear us down and leave us feeling empty.

If you want to experience fulfillment and lasting satisfaction with the pursuit of your goals, then you should align.

The ambition is the only option that will create that for you.

I invite you to get back in touch with loving the journey you're on to build your business.

I encourage you to do that by getting back into alignment with your integrity and stepping into the next best version of yourself.