10 Unexpected Perks of Choosing Integrity Over Popularity

There’s a lack of truly genuine people in the world.

From influencers to entrepreneurs to celebrities, there are very few public figures who are showing us their authentic selves. There was a time that I fell for this trap, as, no doubt, have you. It’s hard to ignore the glitz and glamour—the potency of the smoke and mirrors is pretty effective—and it’s tempting to try to follow their path and find your own piece of the success pie. The trouble is, it’s not genuine. It is, for lack of a better term, fake. It’s taken some time and some serious tinkering, but I’ve discovered something vital:

Choosing integrity over popularity will reward you in the most unexpected ways imaginable.

With this new mindset, you might not notice a change right away. But the roots are taking shape underneath, and the fruit that you’ll bear as you lead with integrity, whether it’s professionally or personally (or both), will pave a better path for your future.

When I started writing online a few years ago, I didn’t heed this advice. I tried to write what everyone was writing, and truthfully, I did find some success on that path. But now, as I write and live with authenticity and ingenuity at the heart of everything I produce, I’m truly seeing the fruits of my labour in full force.

Here are 10 unexpected perks of choosing integrity over popularity.

#1: Your reach is greater

You can learn a lot with analytics; don’t get me wrong.

Learning about your audience (if you’re a writer or business owner) is absolutely helpful when it comes to the bottom line. You need people to make money, regardless of who you are or what you do—you need an audience, you need customers, you need clients, and you need doers. You need to reach the right people to do virtually any kind of business.

The good thing about living and working with integrity is that your reach ends up being greater. The world is a unique place full of unique people, and they can sense the bullshitters. Have you ever started reading a new writer or watching a new YouTuber, or maybe you had to buy a new washer/dryer (like I did recently) and realized that they were just trying to push something on you? To pull the wool over your eyes in the name of making a sale?

When you work with integrity, you’re honest, and people can sense that. It draws a crowd because it’s rare. Don’t be afraid to talk about what you believe and work within the bounds of what you are proud to be a part of—you won’t regret it.

You’re human, and your humanity might just be a bigger lure than you realized.

#2: You can sleep at night

Sleep is pretty important. I’m a mom of two, so I know what I’m talking about here.

Making deals and fast money is one thing, but most people have a conscience that dictates the ways in which we do that. And if not our conscience, the law is a pretty impressive guide for how we live our lives! Most of us have qualms about taking people’s money without delivering a valuable product, and that keeps us pretty honest, for the most part.

I remember going for a job once that seemed a little too good to be true, and like most things of that nature, it really was. It paid extraordinarily well, required very little work, and involved upselling products to people who really didn’t need those products. That last part felt kind of icky to me, and I cancelled my follow-up interview. I just couldn’t do it.

Not only could I continue to sleep well at night after that call, but the company went under less than a year later. That tells you a thing or two about the value of business integrity.

Listen to your gut instincts—they’re usually right.

#3: There are people like you

You’re a human being, friend. Be one.

We live in a world in which AI is the current king. It rules so much of our content, and it’s getting more believable every day. But one thing that it has yet to conquer with any genuine success is the “realness” of people. The fact is that out there, right now, there are people just like you who like what you like and do what you do.

That doesn’t mean you aren’t unique, because you are, but it does mean that you can tap into what makes you “you,” and that will draw people to you. Because it’s real.

It’s truth. People are starting to really seek the truth, so give that to them—hang the consequences. Open up and be you.

It’s the most attractive thing you can do.

#4: Failing isn’t really “failing”

Failing is a seriously tricky thing to master. We’re terrified of it.

But it was failure, and more accurately, failing over and over, that led me down my new, honest path of integrity. Failing is how we learn what works and what doesn’t, and you know what? That’s a pretty useful lesson to learn, no matter how many times you have to learn it.

Everybody—and I mean absolutely everybody—fails. Embrace it as a real and beautiful part of the human experience, and share your failures with people. That honest introspection and examination will inspire others to do the same.

#5: Your reputation is intact

You know what’s kind of nice? Knowing that my name will never somehow end up on a much anticipated and theorized public “list” somewhere, outlining dirty deeds and shady business.

Ahem.

When you live your life with integrity, you can rest assured that you’re reputed as such. There are very few ways that people can or will tarnish your hard-earned reputation when you operate with honesty and authenticity in everything you do.

Nothing destroys a person’s credibility faster than operating in the shade, so do yourself a favour and live in the light. Just ask half of the celebrities in Hollywood right now. They have some serious regrets.

#6: The work is easier

Oddly enough, when you are working in a business you care about, productivity flows from you fairly effortlessly.

I know someone who started a charity organization for families who struggle with keeping their lives afloat while their child is battling cancer, which is a pretty noble cause on its own. But as a cancer survivor, she is closer to it than we can possibly imagine, and that genuine passion for what she does drives donations and helps those in the charity’s care.

It’s the integrity of the charity that brings people in, but the founder’s inspiring story and passion for kids with cancer sets the organization ahead, and it’s led to genuine, feel-good success that she and everyone involved can be proud of. And the work? It flows as freely as water from a tap.

#7: You’ll set a trend

I’ve noticed that when you write what moves you, others will follow suit—especially after they see how well it works.

I remember seeing a Twitter post a while back in which an influencer posted a real picture of her surroundings at home, and the imperfection and realness of the picture inspired so many others to gush their relief at her honesty and share their own photos.

Instagram and other social media sites so frequently show us perfectly coiffed living spaces and trendy design styles, while the reality for 99% of us is wildly different. This influencer’s honesty and ingenuity set her apart from others in a serious way, and it was trending on Twitter for a few weeks because people just love that.

I think that’s one of my favourite things about living my life and working with integrity. Inspiring other people to live more honestly and with their morals intact feels unbelievably wonderful, and they reap the same rewards as I do. I feel convinced that this is how we’re meant to live: honestly, openly, and compassionately. The proof of that is in the pudding.

When you pave the way for others, they won’t just follow you; they’ll forge their own paths, and that’s even better. Set the integrity trend and watch how others put their own real, unique voices out there. It’s so much better than the stale influencer drivel we see every day.

#8: Opportunity knocks

There’s something about honest people that draws a crowd.

Once you start putting out genuinely truthful work and energy, your attractiveness grows, and word starts to spread. Take Medium, for instance—articles that touch the heart are more likely to be boosted, which gets more eyes on your writing. If that writing is always genuine and free of clickbait, you’ll probably earn some regular readers.

And all it took was being honest.

#9: Integrity is timeless

One good thing about writing with integrity and authenticity is that it’s timeless.

I remember a few of the tidbits of information I picked up when I was going to school for journalism a million years ago. One rule they nailed into our brains was the importance of timeliness, and while creative writing doesn’t have much to do with timeliness as a writing concept, it’s still something to consider when we’re pumping out online content.

For instance, I recently found myself writing a story based on a YouTube short that sparked my interest. As I was outlining my piece, I began to look into the facts that inspired the short and found that it was something that had taken place back in September—four months ago.

Considering that the story I was writing had to do with a topic that had been trending at the time, I scrapped the story because it had obviously stopped trending and would be, therefore, pretty irrelevant.

Timeliness is great if you can keep up. Since I clearly can’t do that, I’ll stick to writing about more abstract ideas—they’re more interesting to me anyway.

#10: Integrity naturally simplifies your life

Integrity started as a professional decision, but it’s spilled over into my day-to-day life, too.

A family member I thought had left my life (for personal reasons) recently got in touch with me. They sent a message request, and I was instantly filled with anxiety and misery because I didn’t want to be rude, but I also didn’t want to open that door again. I was conflicted. Sometimes, we lose people who need to be lost to us; having them reappear is like seeing a ghost, and it’s just as unnerving.

I ended up deleting the request because speaking to this person and trying to “make nice” is the most disingenuous thing I could do. I don’t wish them an ounce of harm, but I also can’t put myself in that position again. Living with integrity means knowing when to speak up and when to let things slide by the wayside, and this is true whether you’re doing so professionally or personally.

And getting caught up in sticky, stressful drama is just a distraction from your goals, anyway. Simplify your life by maintaining your integrity—you’ll thank me later.

I’ve found mostly blue skies and easy sailing with my honourable lifestyle—no word of a lie. Professionally, it’s helped me choose what projects resonate with my morals and beliefs, giving me the clarity and strength to turn down projects that don’t align with them. And personally, it’s helped me maintain healthy relationships, mend tricky ones, and let go of impossible ones.

It would be pretty easy to mimic what others are doing, to not write about the trickier subjects, to not breach the walls of impassable ideals. But that wouldn’t be honest.

The truth is that it would all be a lie if I did that. My life is not perfect, but it is simple. I don’t think it would be if I was living a lie—scratch that, I know it wouldn’t be. I come across hurdles too, but with my moral compass as my shield, I can manage so much better than I could before.

So try to disregard any desire for popularity and opt for integrity instead—the results might surprise you as much as they surprised me.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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Photo credit: iStock.com