The Importance of a Nutritious Diet

This semester, I’m taking a nutrition class. I’m learning so much and I am so grateful. I’ve always enjoyed good health and I don’t eat horribly. But this class has been a real eye opener and I’m developing a stronger passion for good eating habits and physical activity. I want to live a long and healthy life.

This class has made me aware of some dietary changes I need to make. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. This class has inspired me to eat better and exercise more than I ever have before. I feel so good after eating a nutritious meal and going on a run. I’m really seeing the benefits of my efforts.

I feel like I’m living the Word of Wisdom better, and I’m grateful for the impact this class has had on me. I appreciate my health and a healthy person is who I want to be.

This is Not Adieu

Although this blog started as an assignment for class, I do not want it to end there. Although I am no longer required to post on my blog, I do not want to stop. At the beginning of this blog, I was posting in large part because of my class assignment. I do not know when that stopped being the case, but it's not my main purpose anymore. Recently I've posted without thinking about the assignment. I'm posting because I have something to say, something to share.

If this whole blog was to just to fulfill an assignment, it wouldn't be very meaningful. Who I am as a person, and my ability to recognize and share my reactions to the world around me should not stop with the end of a class. I have developed lasting changes and lasting desires to be a better person, and this blog should last too.

I am grateful for what life teaches me and helps me become. I hope you, my readers, will continue to enjoy my reflections on integrity.

Easter Sunday

How grateful I am that today is Easter. It is such a beautiful holiday. I am grateful for this special day to remember my Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to bear testimony that He lives. For although He was crucified, He was resurrected. Christ lives and I may live again too. I am so grateful for all that Easter celebrates.

Because Christ performed the Atonement, I can become who I am meant to be. I can grow and change and repent and become a better person each and every day. Without the Atonement, I am nothing. The Atonement is a central part of who I am and who I am continually becoming.

Happy Easter everyone!

A Productive Start Leads to a Productive Finish

Today me and my husband woke up, him at 7 and me at 8. I made pancakes for breakfast and then we cleaned our apartment. After that, we sorted our clothes and proceeded to do 5 loads of laundry. While we've had a good amount of down time during the day, we've been able to get a lot done and we have plans to do homework and go grocery shopping tonight.

From experience over the years, I truly believe that when I wake up in the morning and get a good start on my day, I will be more productive all day. If I wake up and laze around for a few hours it is so much harder to motivate myself to start doing anything.

I feel so much better and happier when I am productive. I hate that feeling of having wasted a day away. I want to fill my days with good things and I want to be in bed early so that I can be up early and have a good and effective day. That is part of who I want to be.

Journal Time

It's always been important for me to keep a journal. But I've never been very good at it. I've kept a journal on and off over the years. My best stretch was on my mission. Looking at the journals I do have make me grateful for the record that I have kept and they inspire me to do better.

I think journal keeping is important for me and for my posterity.

It's important for me because it helps me see how I've progressed over the years. I sometimes read through old journals and think "I was so silly" or "I can't believe I did/thought that!" But I could just as easily be saying, "Wow. I'm such a different person now. I've really become someone amazing and special. I've grown so much over the years."

I think journal keeping is important for my posterity because I want them to know who I am. I want them to know what my life meant and what I did with it. I want them to be proud of the life I lived. I want them to have footsteps to follow in.

Prioritizing Time

There's so much to do each day, it's often hard to get it all done. I've been feeling that way a lot lately. I'm in my last semester of my university education. I graduate in a month. And boy am I busy! I'm exhausted, but I've got to keep going.  I feel like I'm nearing the end of a marathon and it's hard to see how I'm going to have the strength to finish.

But, the better I plan my time and prioritize my tasks, the more successful I am. I've thought a lot this week about the object lesson with the jar and the water, sand, and rocks. How do you make it all fit? How do you get everything done? If you put the sand or water in before the rocks, the jar will overflow. You've got to put the rocks first, the sand second, and the water last. Life is the same.

My rocks are scripture study, homework, and my responsibilities as a wife. My sand is reading a good book, keeping connections with friends and family. My water is checking Facebook and playing games on my phone. As I focus on my rocks, everything always gets done. I love starting my day by reading my scriptures. It's the only way to start my day. It sets the tone for the rest of my day and things always seem to go better. I'm happier, I have more energy, and things get done. And the things that go wrong don't seem so important and don't upset me as much.

I know it is important to prioritize my time because it helps me feel better and do more. And that's who I want to be.

Moral Relativism

Moral Relativism is an issue that occurs when someone thinks it is okay to base their standards on the current situation.  For example, if someone has the standard of going to church every Sunday, but rationalizes that it's okay to miss--just once--for great-great-grandma's 103 birthday, then this person is experiencing Moral Relativism.  Their morals are relative to the situation.

Prophets have taught that this is not a way to live. We cannot rationalize keeping the commandments in certain situations and breaking them in others. It just doesn't work like that. Learning about Moral Relativism has been important to me. I want to make sure it is something I avoid. I want to be a Moral Absolutist.

Active in Politics

I've never cared for politics. I hated learning about it in High School. I thought politics were boring and confusing. I'd never voted and that didn't bother me. My freshman year at BYU, I took a class called American Heritage, and I still remember an article that I read. It said that the only reason we really need to vote is that it is our civic duty.

That really struck a cord with me. In the years since, I've become much more interested in politics. I still don't like discussing it or getting into deep issues and possible resolutions. But I do like to be informed. Occasionally I'll watch a political debate. I still haven't voted, but I'm excited for the chance to vote this November.

I bring this up because church leaders have always encouraged members to vote. Joseph Smith ran for President himself, not because he thought he could win, but because the people didn't feel right about voting for any other candidate. Just a few weeks ago a member of my bishopric read a letter from the First Presidency encouraging us to be active in the current elections. I think it is important to follow the counsel of church leaders. That is part of who I want to be.

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a virtue that I have been learning my whole life. It's one of my biggest weaknesses. I'm easily frustrated when things don't go my way, when I don't understand something, and when someone doesn't understand me.

My mission taught me a lot of patience and I thought I had it down. I learned patience on my mission and I wouldn't need to learn it anymore, right?

WRONG! I keep learning about patience. I keep having trials that test my patience. I've come to realize that patience is not an attribute I can learn and check off my list. It's a skill that takes a lifetime to learn.

Service is Love

This week I've had several opportunities to serve. I love to serve others. It is something my mom is always doing and as a child she often included me when she would serve others. From her, I learned of it's importance.

From my mom, I also learned that service is love. I could always see the love my mom had for the people she was serving, whether or not she knew them. She always acted with kindness and love. When I serve, I feel that way too. It is hard to serve someone, know you have made a difference, and not feel love for them. It is also hard to not feel more love for yourself. That's what I love most about service. It helps the person in need, but it also helps you.

Face2Face With Elder Holland

Last Tuesday, Elder Holland, Sister Stephens, and Elder Hallstrom did a face2face with the Young Single Adults of the church. Although married, and unable to watch it on Tuesday, my husband and I watched it on Sunday for our Family Home Evening. It was a wonderful program and I felt the spirit strongly.

Although many of the questions related to marriage, I want to talk about some of the ones that didn't. One question related to sisters who chose not to serve missions and were feeling pressure or secondary for not serving. Elder Holland declared that the age change was never meant to create "second-class citizens" in the church. This same issue came up when there were a few questions discussing same-gender attraction. I liked how Elder Holland said that we don't want second-class citizens. That is never how God views us, so we shouldn't view others that way.

It got me thinking about the person I want to become and how I view others. As a returned missionary myself, I sometimes have a hard time understanding why young women don't want to go on missions. It was the best experience of my life and although I know it is not for everyone, I sometimes wonder how that can be. I realized that if I want to be a person of integrity, I need to treat all people equally.

Carrying Christ's Name

Today one of my professors asked my class a very important question that I want to reflect on and discuss. She said, "What does it mean to you this week that you carry Christ's name? What does it mean to your hands? What does it mean to your eyes? What does it mean to your mouth? What does it mean to your ears?"

I've always thought about carrying Christ's name or taking His name upon me as doing things that will make me a better person. It means that I will remember him and strive to keep the commandments.  But what do those things mean, and how can I accomplish them? What my teacher asked us to think about really struck me and has given me further insight on what it means to take carry Christ's name.

My whole body needs to respect that I will stand as a disciple of Christ. Becoming a better person and following the Commandments is an effort that my whole body needs to be a part of. In response to my professors questions, to my hands it means I will write good things and serve others, to my eyes it means I will read and view good things, to my mouth it means I will speak good things, and to my ears it means I will listen to good things.

Lastly, I love how my professor posed this question in relation to this week. This is not something we think about once and then master, it is something that we think about at least weekly. And I think this is because our ability to take Christ's name upon us changes and grows. As we grow in faith and learn more of Heavenly Father's will for us, our goals and actions will better reflect Christ's name.

Gossip Guilt

The other day I was with a group of friends, and we were talking about someone we all know. I made a rude comment and my friends laughed. I thought I'd feel cool and funny. But I didn't I felt bad. I had been unkind. I knew better than to act that way. That's not the kind of person I want to be.

In a way, I'm grateful for this experience. I learned a valuable lesson. It's been a long time since I've been part of gossip. I hated people that would gossip when I was younger. I tried so hard to stay out of conversations where gossip was occurring. I used to walk away from such conversations. And I would feel good about not participating. Contrasting the times I've felt good for not participating in gossip with the experience I recently had provides a clear guide for how I want to act. The person I want to be. I want to speak kindly, not harshly of others. If I can't say it to their faces, I shouldn't say it at all.

Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause

I love the scripture D&C 58:27. It says, "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;"

I recently watched a BYU Speech Be Excellent: Becoming Who You Are in Today's World. The part of the speech that struck me the deepest was about being engaged. As of late, I've been trying to multitask and focus on some classes more than others. I have one class that I always go to, but never pay attention in. I always listen halfheartedly while doing homework for other classes.

After listening to the talk and thinking about how being engaged in my current task, no matter how dull, can help me become who I am, I have found a deeper desire to live in the present and give my full attention to what I am doing. Thinking about this in comparison to the scripture, I'm thinking that being engaged will help me become who I am and in that process I will certainly "bring to pass much righteousness." God wants me to become someone special and He wants me to be righteous. I can do His will if I am anxiously engaged in a good cause, that of becoming who I am meant to be.

Undercharged and Overblessed

The other day, I went to Chipotle. I had a free coupon for a burrito so I decided to buy guacamole and chips. I purchased my food and found a seat in the crowded restaurant. Looking at my receipt, I realized  I was charged for salsa and chips, over a dollar cheaper.

As I tried to right the wrong, I was told not to worry about it. I felt blessed for receiving delicious guacamole and salty tortilla chips for a cheaper price, but more importantly I felt blessed for doing the right thing. I felt good about what I had done. I was pleased that I had been raised and taught to do the right thing. When I noticed the error, the decision was not hard to make. It was like it had been made years ago. I want to be a person of integrity, and I'm glad there are many instances in which that is a part of who I am.

Day 14: See Everybody You Talk to through God's Eyes

On Sunday, I was able to be in Logan Utah where I served a good part of my mission. It was so great to be with the people I served among and to be able to go to church with them. I loved my mission very much and this ward was one of my favorites. They are a wonderful group of people.

As a missionary, I often felt a special capacity to see people as God saw them. It wasn't always the case, but sometimes I would be filled with so much love for people I barely knew and sometimes even people I did not know at all. It could happen during a second or third lesson. It could happen as I passed a stranger on the street. As a missionary, I really felt like I got a glimpse of what it means to love and have real charity. Being back with the people I loved and served brought a lot of those same feelings I had on my mission. I felt so much love for the people I was able to visit and see at church. At times I truly believe I was able to see them through God's eyes.

Day 13: Give Someone a Genuine Compliment

Today, I have had the chance to visit Logan, Utah, where I served part of my mission. It has been a pleasure to visit the people I met and grew to love. I was able to visit my ward mission leader and his wife and a couple that I taught who got baptized shortly after I left.

The couple that I had taught on my mission had me and my husband over for dinner. It was so great to see them and be able to talk to them. They fed us lasagna, salad, and garlic toast. It was delicious. I had seconds. And that's saying something because we had already eaten two other meals. I told them how much we appreciated them feeding us dinner and I genuinely complimented them by telling them how good the food was. I felt good complimenting them and letting them know they were appreciated. I want to be the kind of person that gives compliments freely and sincerely.

Day 12: Focus on what you have in common with others

Yesterday, I was on campus and I saw a lot of people. I saw men and women, students and professors. Everybody I saw was different in their own way. Different hair, different bodies, different nationalities.

But, as I looked at people,  there was one thing we all had in common. We are all children of God. Everybody that I interacted with and saw was a child of God. What a beautiful thing to be! I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that I am a daughter of God. It is such a big part of who I am.

Day 11: Speak Kindly

Today in my writing class we did critiques. The class before, several of my classmates gave everyone in the class 750 words from their manuscript. We came to class today having read and made comments about the manuscript section. We spent several minutes talking about what was done well and several minutes giving "helps."

As a writer myself, I love feedback. I love knowing where I can improve. Sometimes I like it more than knowing what works. Because I want to get better and be publishable, so knowing what isn't working or what is confusing is valuable to me. But it can be hard if this information is not communicated correctly or kindly.

So, when giving feedback I always made sure I had said something positive as well. And I made sure to be polite and respectful. I would try to suggest what would make the writing better and never imply that the writing was bad. Because it usually wasn't. I tried to provide building blocks rather than tear the writing apart. I felt good as I did this and know I would want feedback in the same way.

Day 10: Say Thank You

Yesterday, as one of my classes was ending, I learned that one of my classmates lives near Portland Oregon and knows the area pretty well. Since I will be moving to Oregon after graduating, we started talking. She told me how wonderful and beautiful Oregon was. She gave me helpful information about the weather in Oregon and the beaches nearby. She was so excited for me, and I appreciated her enthusiasm.

As we were going our separate ways, I was able to thank her. And I did so kindly because I really meant it. I was grateful for our conversation and I sincerely wanted her to know that. Thank you is such a simple phrase but it means so much when it is said with real intent.

Day 9: Spend 10 Minutes Really Listening to Someone

Yesterday, I had the chance to be listened to and to listen to someone. I had a hard day and it was such a joy to be able to tell my husband about my day. It was so sweet of him to listen politely and really help me feel better. I'm so grateful for his support and the fact that I have someone who will listen to my day to day doings, my needs, my frustrations, and my concerns.

In turn, I was able to listen to my husband talk about his day. It was so wonderful to hear about his successes and I was able to lend understanding and support, or at least a listening ear, as he described the hard parts of his day. I love listening to him and getting to know him better. I love learning about the things he finds important to discuss and learning about the way he thinks. We talk a lot and it is such a joy to be able to communicate with someone so openly. I'm glad he listens to me and I'm glad I listen to him.

Day 8: Show Mercy to Someone

My "showing mercy to someone" is going to be a bit premeditated. The class I TA for has papers due tomorrow and I sometimes have a hard time grading these papers. I'm an English major with and editing minor and so I know a lot of grammatical rules nobody else does. Because I know them and have had it pounded into my brain that they are correct and important, it really can bother me when I see these rules broken. 

Yet, I know it is unfair to hold these non-English majors to the same standard I am held to when they do not have the same knowledge that I have. So, even though I will want to dock points on their papers for certain grammatical mistakes, I am deciding right now that I will be fair but merciful. 

Day 7: Don't criticize actions or circumstances

Yesterday was the Superbowl. Growing up, my family always watched it on Monday. It was always hard for my dad to get through work without hearing who won, and as us kids got older it was harder for us to not hear who won during the school day, but we didn't believe watching the game was a Sunday activity.

The past few years my husband has always gone to a friends house for a giant Superbowl party. He  is not into football and really goes just for the food. And we're talking cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, quesadillas, homemade salsa, and carne asada. Good stuff. He of course got invited this year and wanted to go. I was hesitant at first because I've always shied away from anything Superbowl related.

However, me and my husband are both graduating and moving out of Utah in April. I knew this would be his last year to go and maybe his last time to see some of these friends. He wanted me to be comfortable keeping the Sabbath day, and I know he wouldn't have forced me to go. But I'm so glad we did. We hardly watched the game, and we got to eat delicious food. We also got to hang out in great company and enjoy time with good friends.

Looking back on the situation, I realize that I was able to not criticize his friends for watching a football game on a Sunday. Instead, I was able to look at the evening as a good time to spend with friends that my husband may not see again. It was an uplifting and enjoyable evening. And I think spending time with those you care about is a wonderful Sunday activity.

Day 6: Forgive Somebody Who Has Wronged You

So, on Saturday I was given the chance to forgive someone who had wronged me. That night, me and my husband had a low key "open house" of sorts to celebrate our recent marriage with some friends who couldn't make it to the actual wedding. All night, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of a friend who had told me they were coming. The night ended, and that friend never came. I was disappointed. I was sad. We hadn't seen each other in a long time. Driving home, I decided that it was okay and I told myself that they probably had a good reason for not coming. Essentially, I forgave them.

And I'm glad I did. I found out the next day, that they had a very good reason for not coming. I'm glad I was able to forgive them for not coming and be understanding of the situation. I am so grateful for all the times I have been forgiven. By friends, and most importantly by my Heavenly Father. I know how good it feels to be forgiven and I want my character to be a person who is willing to forgive.

Day 5: See a Situation Through the Other Person's Eyes

Okay, so I'm late writing about this one. Yesterday, me and my husband went out to eat, and the restaurant was super busy. It took us about 15 minutes to be seated, and even though we ordered pretty quickly, it took a long time for our food to come. We  didn't even get our water for a while. The longer I had to wait, the more frustrated I was getting. It had been a long day, and I was hungry!

But, if I think about how the waiter must have been working so hard to keep all of the patrons satisfied, it is easier to not be as frustrated. We got our food and water. It was delicious. Overall, it was a wonderful evening out with my husband. Understanding the other person's situation, helped me make the best of mine.

Day 4: Resist the Impulse to Categorize Others

Today's challenge is to not categorize others. I had a really cool experience putting this into practice. I was in one of my classes and the professor, as always, invited a student to come forward and start the class with a prayer.

The student that said the prayer was tall, stockily built, and darker skinned. Immediately I began wondering what ethnicity he was. Was he half Black, Hispanic, Indian? I wasn't really paying attention to the prayer. I quickly realized that it didn't matter. I was categorizing! I'm so glad I caught myself! I stopped thinking about what his appearance might mean about him, and I began to listen to his prayer. It was a very good prayer and I was glad I was able to focus on what was more important.

Day 3: Look Beyond Someone's Looks

My mom has always told me that I have the gift of seeing the beauty in people. Who she would describe as homely, I would view as beautiful or handsome. To me, somebody is so much more than their physical appearance. As you get to know somebody their personality becomes a part of their looks. You begin to see people for who they are, not for what they look like.

Today, as I've interacted with people I know, I've tried very hard to focus on who people are not what they look like. I may be wrong, but it seems like most people think that looking beyond someone's looks means overcoming negative or judgmental feelings towards people who could be deemed "unattractive." But I think this goes both ways. People considered beautiful shouldn't be favored or viewed differently, even if it's positive. Everyone should be viewed equally. For who they are, not for how they look.

Day 2: Overlook Someone's Shortcomings

Today's challenge is to overlook someone's shortcomings. I am a TA for a writing class for non-English majors and I graded short paragraphs for two hours today. I am an English major with an editing minor, and when I grade I often laugh at the "silly" mistakes I see. Because it is not a class for students studying English, I grade fairly and I understand their mistakes, but to myself I am often judgmental and a tad cynical of the errors. Occasionally I get frustrated by grammatical errors that for me are second nature to avoid.

Today, while I was grading I tried to be more understanding. I tried to overlook the grammatical errors. I tried to focus on the meaning that was being conveyed rather than how it was being conveyed. Doing this, I felt much more positive. I felt like I understood the students better and could even relate to them better because I wasn't focusing on their faults.

Day 1: Be Patient with Someone

Patience is a hard attribute to acquire. For today's challenge my "someone" is more of a "something." I had to exercise a lot of patience with my day. It was one of those "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days." Okay, it wasn't that awful, but I didn't get all my homework done, I lost a button on my coat, my computer was giving me a hard time, I missed the bus and had to walk home, etc.

Normally, I am a very happy and cheerful person. However, I tend to get frustrated and moody when things don't go the way I want them to. So today, I had to be patient with the events that were occurring, and I had to be patient with myself. I had to remember that they were out of my control and getting frustrated at the situation or at myself would not help.

I am happy to say that I was very successful and managed a positive attitude despite a succession of mildly trying circumstances. I know that I am capable of remaining positive when I least want to be. I have always written my frustration off as my biggest weakness. I sometimes tell myself I can't help it or control it. It's just part of who I am. Day 1 of the Love challenge has taught me more about myself and the person I want to become.

14-Day Love Challenge

I just found a 14-day challenge to love one another. I'm going to start it tomorrow, and I am really excited. I'm not exactly sure how it is going to relate to integrity. Some days may have a clearer connection than others, but I know that every day I am going to complete the challenge or the task with full purpose of heart. In that way, I will show my integrity. I am doing this challenge willingly, and I am publicly announcing that I will give it my all!

Stay tuned to see how it goes :)

#LoveOneAnother

Writing Lies to Reveal Truth

A few days ago, one of my classmates told this story of a friend of hers who wrote about an experience. In this essay and in the experience the girl described tons of emotion. My classmate said that it really moved people. However, the friend later disclosed that the event had never taken place. It wasn't remotely true. But all of the emotion was.

I thought this was really interesting. It got me thinking about integrity. Was the girl correct in making up an experience just to convey the emotion? Is that piece of writing one of integrity? Did the girl represent herself truly? I don't claim to have the answer to any of these questions. But I think they are worth thinking about.

Having Integrity in ALL I do

Today one of my coworkers asked me how diligent we needed to be in keeping track of our hours. She was concerned because we are only allowed to work so many hours and she didn't want to cause any problems if she went even a few minutes over. She was considering working a few minutes under her allotted hours to be safe.

I'm honestly not sure what would happen if we all worked a few minutes over our maximum time. I'd never really thought about it. I've never come close to going over on my hours so I don't tend to keep track. However, her question made me think. At first I didn't see a problem going a few minutes over. It might cost our employer a few dollars more each paycheck, but if we were working that time, didn't we earn the money? But with further reflection, I realize that the money isn't our to earn. We offered to work so many hours a week, not more or less. This has left me with a desire to be more conscientious of my time. Even if I don't go close to working over my hours, I want to be aware of how much I have worked each week. I want to be fully accountable for my time.

Personal Statement

Yesterday in my Shakespeare class, I gave a presentation about wholesome literature. I focused on Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. In my class, we defined wholesome literature as literature that nourishes and edifies. This has been an eyeopening concept for me because even though Shakespeare's plays tend to have some questionable content, I have always felt like the good far outweighs the bad. There is so much to learn from Shakespeare's writing. Real life lessons that make me a better person. I've also come to understand that when someone is so focused on the bad or objectionable content, that is all they will see and they will be blinded to anything else. The opposite is also true. If someone is so focused on what they can learn and the good that can come from literature, then that is what they will see.

Now, this doesn't mean I will read or watch just anything. I would lose my integrity if I completely gave up my standards. I'm not supporting inappropriate material in any way. In our class, we all had to write personal statements about what kind of entertainment we would read or watch, and what we would stay away from. And that is what I think everyone should do. Writing my personal statement has become a sort of moral code for me. I have the desire to follow my statement and I think my integrity would be questioned if I were untrue to it. 

The Power of Thought

In class this week, we talked a lot about the power of thought. We watched a video that explained two studies in which the power of thought were emphasized. In the first, one group was told to practice the piano daily and another group was told to mentally practice the piano daily. The group that physically practiced improved more, but the other group also improved their piano skills and it was easier for them to catch up. In another study, one group was told to physically perform some finger strengthening exercises and the other group was told to think about performing the exercises. At the end of the study, the first group increased muscle strength by 30% and the group that only thought about exercising increased by 22%.

We also talked about how changing the way we think and what we think about can lead to changing our desires. This got me thinking about integrity. If my thoughts are full of integrity and good intentions, then my desires will also be good. I have the power to change my thoughts and desires when I notice thoughts that are not in accordance with who I want to be. That is just fascinating to me.

Finding a Desire to Live with Integrity

So, I just read Neal A. Maxwell's talk "According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts." It was really good and I learned a lot from it. His talk doesn't specifically have anything to do with integrity, but his thoughts on what and how we desire definitely relate to living a life with greater integrity. I love how he explains how deep desire is. It isn't passive or fleeting. It is deep and it shapes who we will become. I also love how he mentioned that desire is a personal choice. Parents can guide their children, and God's hand is always extended, but desire has to start from within.

Having a better understanding of desire, makes me want to have a stronger desire to live a life of integrity. I now understand that this desire has to be active and deeply rooted within me. It also needs to be my own personal choice. Living a life of integrity has to be a choice, a personal choice. And I have to have a deeply rooted commitment and desire. The article left me thinking about what desires in my life may aid or hinder me from living life with integrity.

Defining Integrity

My name is Shelby and I'm taking a class about integrity and character building. For my first entry, I want to define what integrity means to me. Foremost, I think it is being true, open, and honest to what you know is right. Secondly, and most importantly, I think it is wanting to have and willingly having these attributes. Someone can be honest and true to what is right, but if they display these characteristics begrudgingly, they don't really have integrity.

As I post to this blog, I will be evaluating my own personal integrity and commenting on how it is strengthened and better understood. I will also examine issues of integrity in the things I read and in the interactions I see around me.