Trust and Integrity are an ALL or NOTHING Proposition

I am so proud of my oldest son, Brandon.  He just graduated from Colorado State University’s School of Business with a degree in accounting.  As I beamed with pride as he walked across the stage and accepted his well-deserved and hard-earned diploma, I was pondering the words that the Dean of the School of Business uttered in the commencement speech just moments earlier.  

“Trust and integrity are an ALL or NOTHING proposition.” Dean Ajay Menon

Dean Ajay Menon said, “trust and integrity are an ALL or NOTHING proposition.”  The truth to this statement is so utterly profound.  Either you trust someone or you don’t.  Either you have integrity or you don’t.  Having a spouse or significant other that you trust wholeheartedly is a safe and peaceful place.  What if you “trusted” your significant other not to cheat 80% of the time?  In essence, they are untrustworthy.  Keeping that sacred bond is either 100% or 0%.  What if you only trusted your financial advisor and accountant who keep your books 90% of the time?  It simply isn’t good enough.  Companies’ value statements and the way in which they conduct business either displays integrity or it does not.  I know I wouldn’t want to invest my blood, sweat, and tears into a company that lacked integrity in the manner in which they conducted business.

Throughout our lives, we have all been through levels of broken trust and betrayals. It cuts to the core of the relationship. It takes away the safe feeling of being with or around that person. But we too, have been the ones who have broken trust and let people down – whether we meant to or not. I was listening to Anthony William speak and he said something that stuck with me on the concept of trust and it has to do with sunsets. It is easy to lose trust, especially after a lifetime of people or situations letting us down. Our psyche can be battered and bruised from these failures. 

Anthony suggested that the very simplest way to establish trust at a soul level is to watch a sunset. Sunsets are so breathtakingly beautiful as the rose colored ball of light makes its way below the horizon. I love to watch the sunsets in Colorado as the sun makes its way behind the mountains. The bright oranges and brilliant hues of blue are awe-inspiring in the evening sky. As the evening darkness takes over, the soul 100% trusts with certainty that the sun will be here again in the morning. There hasn’t been a day when the sun hasn’t made its presence known at dawn. No matter who or what has let you down in your life, the sun rising and setting is a certainty. The next time you watch a sunset, not only observe the beauty before you but take a moment to trust in the universe because you know the sun will be back again tomorrow.

Remember always that you are worthy, you are lovable, and you deserve goodness in your life!