Integrity isn’t a carefully crafted image. It’s not something you flash like an ID when youre buying alcohol and cigarettes.

Integrity is the thing you do when no one’s around. The thing that doesn’t get applause. The thing that costs you more than it gives, but it’s the right thing.

It’s the spine that holds you up when the world tries to fold you in half. The quiet “no thanks” when a “yes” would be easier. It’s walking away from the easy money, the easy lie, the easy way out. It’s standing there, empty-handed, while the ones who bent the rules walk past you with full pockets.

Therefore, you have to be happy with the empty hands after you’ve made that decision to stay within integrity- be comfortable with it, like an old friend.

Integrity is a slow burn. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t beg for attention. It’s steady, unshaken, like bedrock beneath the shifting tides. It’s the thing inside that won’t let you take the shortcut. But it’s okay, cause integrity doesn’t pretend.

It will cost you. Opportunities will pass. People will turn away. You’ll feel the weight of it. But you hold the line. And you go, ahhh, thats good old integrity coming my way again.

Because integrity is the long game. It’s what lasts. The money fades. The titles disappear. The crowds move on. And all that’s left is your name, your word – what you stood for.

Integrity is a lonely feeling, though, so make friends with it, and do the right thing. The right things will come back to you.