Integrity Is Freedom
Integrity is the skill that is the precursor to flow. Flow is the optimal state of human consciousness that delivers peak performance and wellbeing. You experience flow when all of your talent instantaneously flows through your decisions and actions so you can perform with impeccable focus and relentless effort. That’s why integrity is freedom. It is freedom from distractions like uncertainty, self-doubt, and loss aversion. It is the freedom to unleash the optimal expression of your talent.
Integrity is the ability to align your decisions and your actions with your conscience. It is a skill that can be trained and mastered like any other skill. There are two strategies to begin training and mastering the skill of integrity:
Devote your time and attention to the optimal expression of your talent.
Devote your time and attention to your non-negotiable priorities.
Once you have chosen your path, the next step is to make your decisions about the devotion of your time and attention in advance so you don’t get distracted by changes in your emotional state. Your priorities are your priorities, regardless of what type of mood you wake up in.
If you want to transform all of your talent into skill and peak performance, then you can’t be distracted by the trivial nonsense that appears throughout the day. If you want to serve your non-negotiable priorities, then you can’t be distracted by your pissy, little mood swings.
We struggle because human beings are easily distracted, so you need to set your integrity up for success every day by setting boundaries around your time and attention, then defending those boundaries. For example: “Your most valuable assets are your talent, time, and attention. I have too much respect for your talent, time, and attention to waste any of them by doing X. So, I need to insist that you show the same respect for my talent, time, and attention by not doing X.” By defining and defending the boundaries around your time and attention, you give yourself the freedom to serve your non-negotiable priorities by eliminating distractions.
Your non-negotiable priorities serve your wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people you love most, by definition. If they love you, and if they believe in your talent, the people you love should be able to respect those boundaries. The Ethos of Community is: “I believe in your talent, and I can’t wait to see who you become. How can I help you develop the skills you need to unleash your true potential?” That ethos is another tool you can use to defend your boundaries. “Right now, the best thing you can do to help me is respect these boundaries.”
Since there is an optimal state of human consciousness that delivers peak performance and wellbeing, why would anyone want to devote their time and attention to anything else? Why would you allow anyone to distract you from your quest for the optimal state of human consciousness, especially the people you love most? How would anyone expect to consistently achieve the optimal state of human consciousness without taking a strategic approach to that quest?
The most effective strategy for living a life of meaning, fulfillment, and contribution is to maximize the amount of time that you access that optimal state of consciousness. Define your quest. Define success. Define your non-negotiable priorities. Define the stakes. Devote your time and attention to your non-negotiable priorities. Define your boundaries around your time and attention, then defend those boundaries.
Follow your conscience, no matter the obstacle and no matter the cost. Be the hero of your own journey. Never surrender your quest to temptation or distraction.