Integrity Opportunities at Every Turn
There are so many little choices we make each day.
Some are of consequence, others are trivial.
It would seem that during times like the Christmas season, when there are gifts to buy and limited funds to use, the opportunity to be honest sneaks up more frequently.
The temptation to say "Oh, it was their mistake" or "too bad for them, not my problem" when we get "long-changed" is always nudging more strongly than the inclination to turn around and correct the error.
At Target today I discovered a Target gift card and another rewards card in my cart when I got to the check out.
At first I thought it had fallen out of my purse because I had the same rewards card.
After checking out my wallet it was apparent that the cards were not mine.
My first thought was "Oh, my lucky day, I can just use this gift card and see what's on it!"
Then I realized that was dishonest and my integrity was worth more than the $5 or $10 on that card.
The rewards card could be traced back to the owner, I'm guessing.
So after a bit more inner dialogue I brought the cards to the service counter.
Hopefully someone will come back looking but either way, my integrity is intact and I know that this time I made the right decision...
Have you had opportunities to be honest when faced with someone else's mistake?
Do you bother?
Some are of consequence, others are trivial.
It would seem that during times like the Christmas season, when there are gifts to buy and limited funds to use, the opportunity to be honest sneaks up more frequently.
The temptation to say "Oh, it was their mistake" or "too bad for them, not my problem" when we get "long-changed" is always nudging more strongly than the inclination to turn around and correct the error.
At Target today I discovered a Target gift card and another rewards card in my cart when I got to the check out.
At first I thought it had fallen out of my purse because I had the same rewards card.
After checking out my wallet it was apparent that the cards were not mine.
My first thought was "Oh, my lucky day, I can just use this gift card and see what's on it!"
Then I realized that was dishonest and my integrity was worth more than the $5 or $10 on that card.
The rewards card could be traced back to the owner, I'm guessing.
So after a bit more inner dialogue I brought the cards to the service counter.
Hopefully someone will come back looking but either way, my integrity is intact and I know that this time I made the right decision...
Have you had opportunities to be honest when faced with someone else's mistake?
Do you bother?
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