Integrity: Real-Life Stories

[jimwell]

I feel compelled to start a thread devoted to real-life stories that demonstrate integrity. Integrity is a foundational value for both personal development and spirituality. In fact, I was confused for a short time about whether I should post this in the Spirituality subforum or the Personal Development one.

Successful personal development and spirituality are accomplished via self-awareness, self-honesty, and respect for truth and goodness. What the world needs now is greater integrity, not higher GDP or more startups.

The purpose of this thread is not to signal moral superiority. I have demonstrated opportunistic and corrupt behavior in the past. Integrity is difficult to embody and, in many situations, can hinder comfort and survival. This is why integrity is rare and challenging to implement. So I started this thread to show that integrating integrity into our lives is possible.

Integrity is complex and encompasses many domains. I asked Copilot for its opinion about integrity, and here is the response:

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Understanding Integrity

Definition

Integrity refers to the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It involves alignment between one’s values, words, and actions, ensuring that decisions are guided by ethical standards. Integrity serves as the foundation for trust, credibility, and respect in personal and professional relationships.

Key Components

- Honesty in communication and behavior  
- Consistency between beliefs and actions  
- Accountability for choices and their consequences  
- Courage to uphold principles even under pressure  

Why Integrity Matters

Upholding integrity builds trust and credibility, both individually and within organizations. It fosters open communication, reduces conflicts, and strengthens teamwork. In the long run, a reputation for integrity attracts opportunities and reinforces a culture of reliability and ethical conduct.

Practical Applications

- Personal integrity: keeping promises, admitting mistakes  
- Professional integrity: following ethical guidelines, honoring commitments  
- Data integrity: ensuring accuracy and consistency of information  
- Community integrity: acting responsibly within societal norms  

Looking ahead, you might explore how integrity shapes effective leadership, delve into philosophical debates on moral consistency, or adopt reflective journaling to align your daily actions with core values.

Although integrity can make things difficult and hinder success and survival, it can also enable success and abundance. Similar to a knife, it can inflict wounds but can also cut potatoes and carrots for a delicious meal.

Here’s a story from months ago. I had lost hundreds of thousands of my country’s currency trading stocks and currencies, and I badly needed a job to survive. I had applied to ten positions but had been unsuccessful. Then I saw a job posting for a Trading Customer Officer at a company that sells trading signals to traders. The role would involve onboarding new clients, providing platform support, and recruiting new traders. The salary was attractive; I had the qualifications and a strong chance of getting the job. But I was troubled by the fact that this company was essentially scamming traders around the world. My stomach churned at the thought of persuading people to sign up for a scam.

Trading signals promise accuracy and big profits for traders, but in reality, they generate large profits for the company selling them.

The high salary (4 times higher the average) could rectify my money problems and enable me to upscale or grow my trading capital, potentially resulting in me being financially free for life. But I couldn't stomach being an accomplice to such deception. So, I decided not to apply and to endure the difficulty instead.

Now here's the benefit of integrity. In late 2023 I had made a promise to myself that I would master trading and gain millions so I could then focus on my divine mission: doing and accomplishing the things I am passionate and enthusiastic about. So I started spending 10 to 14 hour every day studying the chart and both the fundamental and technical aspects of trading. I was obsessed as fuck.  My desire and self-trust were very high; I invested hundreds of thousands into my trading journey. But only months later, I lost all my capital and I was very devastated. It was one of the lowest points in my life. I stopped trading for about 1 month to mentally-emotionally recover and to think about what to do next. I thought I was done with trading but then I remembered my promise that I would succeed regardless of what happened. 

I also remembered that I needed to stay faithful and sustain the belief that I would eventually succeed. So I decided to continue my trading journey.  

Firstly, I created an Excel-based trading journal to monitor my performance. I even learned VBA just to build this tool, and I succeeded. Now I have a robust journal that excels both in aesthetics and functionality. It documents every necessary detail, such as entry and exit prices and dates, pips, stop-loss (SL) and profit-target (PT) prices, PT/SL ratio, and more. It also automatically calculates key KPIs, including trade accuracy (gain-to-loss ratio), maximum consecutive gains and losses, average USD per trade, and return percentage. After compiling and using my journal, the strengths and weaknesses of my trading strategy became clear. More importantly, it enabled me to develop an effective trading system. I succeeded in this endeavor because I stayed faithful and integrous.

Can you share a time when you showed integrity?

[Sandhu]

I once found a lost wallet. It had 4000 pkr in it. I was then completely broke, didn't had a penny. But I decided to look for the owner and after an hour I found him, I returned the wallet back.

Although I showed integrity but tbh I regretted afterwards.

Edited July 10 by Sandhu

[jimwell]

2 minutes ago, Sandhu said:

I once found a lost wallet. It had 4000 pkr in it. I was then completely broke, didn't had a penny. But I decided to look for the owner and after an hour I found him, I returned the wallet back.

Yes, that's integrity. God saw it.  

 

4 minutes ago, Sandhu said:

Although I showed integrity but tbh I regretted afterwards.

 Remember, God has seen it. I believe you have received or will receive blessings. Speak, believe, and sustain it, and it will manifest. This is another truth of Christianity.

[jimwell]

Trading is among the most corrupt domains in modern civilization, with an integrity level near 0. Based on my experience, this domain naturally attracts grifters and scammers.

I have encountered too many fake trading gurus; whenever somebody claims to be an expert trader with the trading skills to help other traders gain millions, I automatically assume the claim is false.

In law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. But in trading, it's the opposite: fake until proven genuine. 

It's interesting that there's a kernel of truth in some of their teachings. In the trading community featured in the video, it's: act as if you're already. This principle is the Law of Correspondence.

But they use it to deceive and exploit others rather than pursue genuine internal transformation, essentially making them scammers. Instead of focusing on internalizing and embodying their affirmations, they act as though they're already millionaires by renting mansions and luxurious cars. Then they present these props as evidence for their trading success.  

This is performance, not transformation. As I have said in the past, trading is a fractal of life. 

I feel too lazy to explain it so I'll request CoPilot to handle it:

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Performance vs Transformation

This statement draws a clear line between outward display and inward change.

Performance refers to putting on a show—demonstrating wealth, skill, or success purely for spectators.

Transformation implies a deep, internal shift in mindset, values, or abilities that endures beyond any momentary appearance.

Key Parallels Between Trading and Life

Decision-making Both trading and life demand choices under uncertainty; the quality of your decisions shapes outcomes.

Risk Management Learning to size and limit risks in a trade echoes how you balance risks and rewards in relationships, careers, and personal goals.

Emotional Discipline Controlling fear and greed on the trading floor parallels managing stress, envy, and impatience in everyday situations.

Why It Matters

Recognizing the difference between performance and transformation helps you avoid shallow quick fixes.

When you treat trading (or any pursuit) as a chance to cultivate lasting habits—self-awareness, resilience, ethical grounding—you achieve growth that spans every domain of life.

Beyond Trading: Applying Fractal Thinking

You can spot fractal patterns in creativity, leadership, and even health:

Creative Process: Iterating drafts, testing ideas, and refining results mirrors the trial-and-error cycle of trading strategies.

Leadership: Guiding a team through change requires the same patience, clear communication, and adaptability as following a trading plan.

Well-Being: Monitoring sleep, nutrition, and exercise unfolds in small daily decisions that accumulate into long-term health—just as small trades build a portfolio.

By viewing any challenge as a fractal, you learn that mastering small-scale patterns lays the groundwork for success at larger scales.

AI is amazing.