Integrity is priceless.
Allow for yourself to feel a calm,
Comforting feeling in your body as you lie down and thoroughly relax to get a good night's sleep.
Make sure you have taken care of turning off the lights and getting what you need for bed so this story can make you sleepy and serene.
You won't want to get up from your cozy bed because you are going to become so relaxed and happy after reading this.
Allow your mind to effortlessly imagine that you are walking through soft white sand.
The sand is warm and moves under your feet as you stroll along.
Just feel the sensations of your feet in the sand.
You know the beach is nearby because you can hear the ocean.
Walk towards the sounds of the ocean and as you are walking,
You can feel the sun on your skin.
Perhaps you can feel a light breeze as well.
You notice the smell of the salty air.
As you are looking around,
You see the ocean peek over the sand dune in front of you.
You are walking toward the ocean now and you notice the sand under your feet gets firmer because it is saturated with sea water.
You get to the shore where the ocean meets the sand and you see little waves coming up and down,
Up and down.
As the waves come and go,
You see some things in the sand like shells,
All different shapes and colors,
Pieces of seaweed,
Your own footprints.
And you see a little piece of driftwood that is the perfect size for riding in the sand with.
Pick up this driftwood and go to where the sand is moist.
And begin writing your name in the sand,
Writing out each letter,
Noticing the sound it makes as you scratch it through the sand.
Good.
Now step back and look at your name.
As you see your beautiful name that has carried you through your whole life,
You notice a little wave coming closer to it.
This wave catches part of your name and washes it away as it goes back into the ocean.
And then another wave comes and partially washes your name away even more.
And another comes and washes it away.
And another wave lapses against the shore until all you can see are ripples in the sand where your name used to be.
That's good.
Now continue walking along your beach,
Noticing the surroundings.
What kind of sounds do you hear?
Notice the plants around you and if there are any trees or grasses growing along the seaside.
Can you hear sea birds flying overhead?
Or perhaps the wind gently blowing?
Can you feel the warm sun on your skin?
How does the sand feel under your feet again?
It's nice,
Right?
Maybe you can even smell the salty fragrance of the ocean.
Just enjoy being at your beach today.
Now as you've walked,
You've learned a lot about how beautiful this beach is and so you're ready for a little rest.
Looking around you,
You see a comfortable chair facing the ocean,
Just the kind you like.
So go ahead and take a seat.
Take a seat and look out into the ocean.
Watch the horizon and how the ocean meets the sky.
This is the most beautiful scene you've ever witnessed.
As you gaze out along the big blue,
You listen very closely to what I have to tell you because it is very important to your overall well-being.
Integrity is the idea of truth.
A person of integrity does the right thing and is someone who aligns their actions with their beliefs.
If you believe you are healthy but then you go and get a pizza every night and don't take responsibility for preparing a healthy meal,
Then your integrity is shattered.
Being honest with your actions and aligning them with your beliefs will create a life experience free from guilt and shame.
When you are always adjusting to your true beliefs,
You inspire others to do the same.
Let me tell you a short story about the importance of integrity.
A little boy who was only about the height of his mother's waist always saw an opportunity to pick up trash.
He even wanted to pick up trash before he wanted to play at the playground.
And when he was at the playground with his friends,
He would note his garbage around and pick it up and throw it away.
He always picked up trash ever since he began walking because his mother taught him so.
In the smallest amounts of trash,
He made his duty to pick them up and throw them away.
No one else seemed to do this and he noticed people would just walk on by garbage laying on the side of the street.
They always thought it was someone else's problem.
But this little boy knew that the earth was his home.
It was like it was everyone else's home.
So he cleaned up little by little as he went about his days.
This little boy grew bigger and he was bright and a helpful member of his community.
People started to take note of how he would pick up trash and they thought it was amazing.
One day he was interviewed by the local news network.
He was about 10 years old.
And after that,
He became known as the clean up boy.
He was always giving his time to pick up another person's garbage,
But he never considered the trash he picked up someone else's.
He always said that any trash was hurting the earth he called his home.
So all trash was his trash.
The news report gained national attention,
Then of course went viral around the world through the internet.
Everyone was talking about the clean up boy and how he helped without asking for anything in return.
It started a worldwide movement.
People began to pick up trash around their neighborhoods and cities.
And they found that the more everyone pitched in,
The less trash there was to clean up.
And people became less likely to litter.
The worldwide integrity for a clean earth became a phenomenon.
The boy was now 18 years old and launching a worldwide business to clean up the earth's oceans.
He was also passionate to address overhauling poorly maintained landfills for good.
He had a team of researchers develop technology that could remove all kinds of garbage without damaging sea life and the coral reefs.
New laws were implemented on fishing boats around the world.
They had to be equipped with high technology mapping so that their nets were automated,
Never to get stuck on the coral reefs below,
Having to be cut free like they once were.
Over the next 10 years,
The health of the entire earth flourished.
With new ideas on how to keep nature clean and healthy were coming in from all parts of the world.
The little clean up boy had created a worldwide movement,
Changing the way each human treats nature.
And it all started simply because he saw no separation between his and someone else's.
All parts of the world were his responsibility to treat right and with respect.
It didn't matter if it was next door to his home or all the way across to a far away land.
So as you drift off to sleep,
Let the little boy's story inspire you to be like him.
Having integrity means being a person of your word without fail,
Without expecting anything in return,
Knowing that everywhere should be respected as if it is your own home.
Good night and rest well,
Tomorrow is the day to begin the practice of lifetime integrity.
