“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”—Zig Ziglar
“Honesty is the best policy” (Benjamin Franklin). It is no surprise that Zig Ziglar lists honesty as the first foundation stone of balanced success. Honesty is the basis for character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty. We need to be honest until it hurts. Notice, I did not say hurtful. Herein is where honesty is foundational to the other stones.
Whatever one’s religious beliefs, it is hard to deny that the “10 Commandments” are relational. Among these is “you shall not bear false witness” (#10). One who is not honest cannot be cannot be trusted. One who cannot be trusted cannot lead—for to truly lead one must have followers. (I, for one, will not follow someone who lies, spreads rumors, provides only parts of the truth, distorts the facts, etc.)
One who is dishonest will always be revealed. As they say, “your lies will catch up to you”. Sure, one’s dishonesty might benefit one in the short term, but what about over the long term? Careers, marriages, families, communities, nations,… and all relationships are destroyed by dishonesty.
Stephen Covey wrote: “Moral authority comes from following universal and timeless principles like honesty, integrity, treating people with respect.” Merriam-Webster defines moral authority as the “trustworthiness to make decisions that are right and good”. One who is untrustworthy may find success in some areas, such as business, politics, etc., and may achieve wealth and power, but at what cost?
Zig Ziglar writes of “balanced” success—i.e., well-centered success. He writes of the kind of success that has real values: honor, respect, and life-affecting impact on others. Balanced success, like yeast, spreads its effect and grows. It begins with honesty.
Carpe momento!