Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest, having strong moral principles, and having one’s actions match the words they say and the agreements they make. Integrity is a very valuable personal skill, as it allows others to trust you, to learn from you and to respect you.
There are some wonderful people in this world who are always honest, kind and maintain their integrity in every situation they’re presented with. If you find such a gem of a person, or two or three, you’ll begin to notice that they share these 13 similar characteristics.
13 Characteristics Of People Who Have True Integrity
1. They value other people’s time.
They place a high value on their own time, so they also value and respect the time of other people. They know you’re busy and have many things to do, so they won’t hold you up or be easygoing about your schedule. When you spend time with them, they likely will deeply appreciate it and will show their gratitude to you.
2. They give credit where it is due.
They do not take credit for accomplishments they did not personally do. They will always give credit to those who did the good deed and showed their own sense of integrity. If you both worked together on a project, they will praise your work and mention your name, so that you can receive the credit for the great job you did.
3. They are authentic.
They are consistently real about who they are, and stay genuine with what they think and how they feel. To them, honesty is more important than appearing to be perfect, so you can count on that their reactions and words are expressing their true feelings and honest intentions. You won’t catch them pretending, lying or being ‘fake.’
4. They are always honest.
Honesty represents what is real and what can be relied on, so they stay true in everything they do, whether it’s a career, a relationship or a friendship. They know that honesty is connected to living happy and satisfied lives.
5. They never take advantage of others.
They are not interested in taking advantage of others, but rather love to build them up and help them get to where they want to be. They realize the importance of boundaries as well and will kindly respect the boundaries others explain to them that they have.
6. They do not argue over disagreements.
They choose to discuss things through in a civil manner or not at all. They respect others, so they do not participate in arguments. They know that an argument tries to find out an imagined idea of who is right, while discussions seek to find out what is right, and what is true, and this is more important to them than inflating their egos.
7. They give people the benefit of the doubt.
They seek to see the good in everyone. They know that everyone is really just doing the best with what they have been given in this life, and they would rather see people succeed than fail. They are capable of forgiving mistakes as well. In the case that someone’s actions do not match their words consistently, they choose to maintain their own self respect and choose not to rely on that person anymore.
8. They know when something is bothering someone.
Being honest gives people with true integrity an incredible ability to see their own psychology, and the psychology of others. This seeing, and related intuition can sense and observe if someone is feeling up or feeling down. If they notice you’re not feeling great, they’ll try to bring you up to their level.
9. They believe others.
They accept and believe what others tell them until proven otherwise. Yet if lied to, they often choose not to trust them again unless major steps and efforts have been made.
10. They apologize first.
If they make a mistake, they are the first to approach you and to apologize for it. They know that mistakes are okay and part of the human learning process, and that people can learn, forgive and work things out. They own up for their actions and always accept responsibility for their behavior.
11. They are humble.
They know that they and others are good enough just the way they are, and their sense of confidence and self-worth comes from within. This allows them to be free from the need for approval from others, and able to be humble while helping others succeed. They rarely boast of their own achievements, so if you notice something wonderful they’ve done, make sure you show them your gratitude and offer a kind ‘thank you.’
12. They do good when they can.
They are always helping other people. They stay in their hearts, and love when they know that they’ve truly helped better the life of another. Their greatest sense of value and much of their life’s meaning comes from helping others succeed and feel loved.
13. They are always kind to those who need it.
They help those who ask and know the value of giving kindness. They are dependable and often help others who cannot help them back. They love being compassionate in this way, as it opens their hearts and brings about a true and loving connection between two people.
If you are someone who has developed many of these skills and possess true integrity, thank you for being who you are and thank you for the wonderful light you shine on others. Your goodwill and reliable kindness truly do help make the world a better place. Keep up the wonderful work, and always remember you are appreciated, you are loved, you are not alone, and we are deeply proud of you.
