Integrity

There once was a time when two people struck a deal, a handshake was all it took to seal it. A person was good for their word and there was never any changing of minds or backing out. If you made a mistake, you were responsible for it. And most times if it was truly a lopsided situation, the other person was decent enough to let you out of it. Long gone are those days.

The same was true for your word. If you said you'd do something, you did it. Or if you said you wouldn't do something, you didn't. It didn't matter if you were dealing with your best friend or a perfect stranger. There was no consideration of what's best for me or what do I get out of the situation. You agreed to something and thus were accountable. Gone again are those days.

I'm a fairly black and white person. What you see is what you get. There is no guessing what I'm thinking or feeling.  I wear my emotions on my sleeve and make no bones about communicating them. I attempt to be diplomatic, but sometimes fail miserably.

I attempt to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, not because I'm going to get something in return. I go into every relationship giving the other person the benefit of the doubt. I give them every opportunity to display their integrity. Many times I'm left disappointed. A few times, I'm pleasantly surprised. I wish the latter happened more often than not.