| All true winners in life have certain characteristics. If | | | | only things you are proud of. That maintains your |
| you want to be a winner, you have to develop the | | | | integrity. |
| same characteristics. These characteristics are the | | | | Maintaining your integrity: |
| keys to ultimate happiness and success. Here are the | | | | Integrity means doing things that are ethical, doing the |
| two most important keys. | | | | right thing. First and foremost, keep your word. How |
| I've been writing about how important it is to have high, | | | | much do you admire a person whose word you can |
| unconditional self regard. Every winner in life has high | | | | trust? Live in such a manner that people can say of |
| self-esteem. High unconditional self regard creates high | | | | you, "Her word is her bond." |
| self-esteem. | | | | You do not go around making promises to people just |
| In the 1950's unconditional self regard was all the rage | | | | because you think that is what they want to hear, and |
| in the mental health field. Carl Rogers became famous | | | | then not following through with it. If you are giving a |
| for his form of therapy. The therapist treated a patient | | | | party, you want a person to mean it if they say they |
| with unconditional high regard, hoping that the person | | | | are going to come, you do not want them saying that |
| would take on this attitude towards himself, and in | | | | they are coming, expect them, and then be |
| most cases it worked. | | | | disappointed. |
| You can give yourself unconditional high regard, accept | | | | If you do this to people, they are going to catch on and |
| yourself no matter what. Understand that you are | | | | start losing their faith and trust in you. They may say |
| doing the best that you can. Be gracious; understand | | | | something like, "He seems like a pleasant fellow, but |
| that others are doing the best that they can. This is a | | | | you know you can't really count on him." When it |
| simple yet extremely effective formula for having | | | | comes to doing business, they'll find somebody else. |
| successful relationships with people. | | | | It's obvious, if you don't keep your word in business |
| Now some of you might think, "This is the ticket, I just | | | | dealings, people won't trust you and keep doing |
| get to accept everything I do, good and bad, and I get | | | | business with you. You may trick somebody into a |
| a free ride. I can do anything and it is okay." | | | | one-time sale, but you will not get repeat business - |
| Ah, but that is not the way it works. In order to have | | | | and repeat business is the most lucrative business - |
| true happiness, you have to have true self-esteem; | | | | and you can imagine what kind of word-of-mouth you |
| you have to have true unconditional high self regard, | | | | get. Without integrity, your business and your life will be |
| which means you must do only things that you are | | | | one long struggle. |
| proud of. How can you regard yourself highly if you | | | | You will wind up not only feeling bad about having a |
| are ashamed of yourself? You cannot go around | | | | poor business; what is worse, you will feel bad about |
| doing things that you are ashamed of. It does not | | | | yourself. |
| work, if you truly want to be a winner. This is the | | | | Do you want to be a winner? |
| second secret - living with integrity. | | | | Then remember the second secret of being a winner |
| The first secret, which I have discussed in earlier | | | | is to be a person of high integrity. |
| writings, is giving yourself unconditional high self regard, | | | | Only do things which you can be proud of. |
| accepting and loving yourself. The second secret is do | | | | Keep your word. |