I-Action step to developing excellent habits for a successful entrepreneur #4

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I-Action step #4 Practice Integrity

 

Integrity is to do the right thing everyday, even when nobody is watching. A person’s integrity is what governs them. It is the good old story about if a tree falls in a forest. If nobody heard it, did it fall? A business entrepreneur with ethics; conducts their business in a honorable manner. That is a successful business entrepreneur with integrity.

 

Years ago, a story about a man named Ruben Gonzalez; a racquetball player. Ruben was an amateur and he went to his first professional racquetball tournament. At his first professional championship, game and he did exceptionally well. He was playing against a famous professional player. At this most important game of his entire life, Ruben hits this killer shot and it landed at the corner. Where his opponent could not reach and the lineman confirmed that. And the referee declared Ruben Gonzalez was the winner. Everyone who was there was thinking, “what a Cinderella Story this is”. The crowd was going nuts. During all of the excitement, Gonzalez turned to the referee, and said, “The ball hit the wall and bounced up before I hit the ball, so that was a fault. It did not count.” Because of him saying that, the referee gave the ball to the opponent and the opponent had the next serve. As a result, to all of this, the opponent won the game, and then Gonzalez finished the game as the loser versus the winner, and left the arena.

 

Everyone in the community of the racquetball world was shocked. Nothing like that ever happened before. No one can imagine working so hard for so long and being the underdog all this year. Attending the first professional event, and played the game of his life. The referee declared his win; the trophy was almost in his hands. Then he threw it all away. Ruben called himself out.

Ruben Gonzalez was feature in the leading racquetball magazine. The chief editor of this magazine seeked him out to interview him, and asked, “Why did you do that?” Gonzalez said, “It was the only thing I could do to maintain my integrity.” Wow! Maintaining his integrity was bigger than his lifelong dream of winning his first tournament as a professional racquetball player.

 

Ruben Gonzalez did not walk away with the trophy that day, but he walk away a winner. Do you the right thing everyday, even when nobody is watching. That is how a person earns their integrity.

 

Giovanna Garcia