I have a confession to make. For the last two years, I’ve been out of my integrity. 😲 Let me explain.

Yesterday, while exploring the surreal beauty of Locarno, Switzerland, I hiked up the Alps (bucket list, check 😉 to the cable car which takes you up to Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in Switzerland.

That’s where I met Thomas, the cable car operator. Unfortunately, Thomas didn’t speak English and my Dutch, German, and Italian are a bit rusty.

So, there we were, him speaking to me in Italian, and me speaking to him in English, doing our best to understand each other, until I took out my phone and started using my translator app.

We proceeded on having a REAL conversation. I learned that Thomas grew up in the streets, a heroin addict. His parents died when he was 16. He had no money. He was homeless. As luck would have it, he landed this job, and has been there for 26 years.

He’s now married, with two children. We shared our personal stories, heartaches, and talked mostly about family, and life in his part of the world, and mine, learning from and about each other, until it was time for me to get into the cable car.

Then, something happened. I felt whole again. Here’s why.

Integrity often refers to authenticity, honesty, and someone with a strong moral compass.

This can be part of your integrity, however, I define integrity as what you do and how you show up that makes YOU whole, centered, complete and fully self-expressed in your heart, mind, and soul by honoring your core values. Integrity is subjective, and personal.

For the last two years, as I remained trapped in my hometown, I felt imbalanced and “off,” in my heart, in my gut. Something was missing. So, I did an integrity check.

I was off and out of my integrity because over the last two years, I was unable to honor three of my main core values. Adventure, travel and most important, authentic connections with people all over the world. This trip, and Thomas, enabled me to get back into my integrity to feel whole again.

If you ever feel off or unhappy, unmotivated, or unproductive, do an #integrity check so you can uncover the priorities and values you’re not honoring and do what you need to honor them. Otherwise, you will continually feel off.

Thanks, Thomas, for impacting my life and allowing me to once again, honor my values and integrity. 🙏✌️

#grateful #humanconnection #weareone