125 We consciously and continuously choose the person we wish to be. The choice is a reflection of the highest vision of our self at that time. We then align all we do, say, and believe with that choice. This is our personal integrity system. Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. His life was a testament to this statement. Long before he became a legendary leader who changed the face of history, Gandhi had to decide who he needed to be as a person to express what was in his heart. He chose to be peaceful, and in doing so he had chosen to be what was most important to him and what he wanted to see in the world. By remaining aligned with this choice, even in the face of stifling adversity, he was able to bring about historical change in the world and live as his most authentic and powerful self. He was able to endure the adversity he faced because he remained grounded and centered with his choice to be peaceful. He adhered to his personal integrity. We certainly all are not Gandhi’s. Many of us are not going to change the world as he did, but we do have the power to change our own world. And that sort of change begins with making a conscious choice to be our very best selves and play our biggest game possible – as best as we can envision at the time. But what happens once we choose? Then we must begin to align everything we do and say with this choice, which at times can be difficult. Most of us have made choices already about the person we want to be but are only aware of it in a distant and unrealized way. By not being clear or articulating what these things are we can often become incongruent or out of alignment with them. Each time we do, we deplete our vitality. Even when we step out of alignment in a small way it can cost us in a big way. For example, you may consider yourself an honest person but have you ever had the experience of a “little white lie” coming back to haunt you? These upsets happen when we have chosen to be one thing and then compromise it in some way. These are self-induced trespasses that have a high cost associated with them. The cost is not in a moral sense, but in the way it robs us of our essence and depletes our vitality. It is almost as if we have a built-in radar system that tells us we are flying off course. When the warning alarms go off, they show up as energy drains and problems or upsets. These upsets are there to guide us back on course and back into alignment with what is most important to us. Those very things that define our personal integrity system. If we choose to not listen, or ignore the alarms going off, or if we are
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