The Way of Integrity with Dr. Martha Beck

Meet Dr. Martha Beck Dr. Martha Beck is a New York Times bestselling author, life coach, and speaker. She holds three Harvard degrees in social science, and Oprah Winfrey has called her “one of the smartest women I know.” Martha is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for her unique combination of science, humor, and spirituality. Her newest book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller.   If you have not yet read Martha's book, The Way of Integrity, it's a must-read. We go deep into the power and meaning of integrity and the effects on our body, psyche, and mind when we are not living in integrity with our true self. Martha shares many exercises, tools, tips, and ways to find your truth, in addition to sharing her own incredibly moving and evocative story in how she personally excavated herself to discover she had been living much of her life out of alignment with her truest self. Integrity is very much connected to being and expressing your You-est You, which boils down to living in authenticity and following your inner teacher. I can't wait to share the highlights from our conversation! Here's to your journey to greater integrity, peace, and happiness. What is Integrity I love this quote from Dr. Martha Beck, "integrity is the cure for unhappiness." The word integrity comes from the root integre, which means intact. When we abandon our whole self, we split into parts of ourselves. This emotional split creates duplicity within our own sense of self and causes a feeling of separation from our true selves. This is the root of psychological pain. I see the You-est You as your true self, and as Martha shared, integrity is the essence of our inner teacher, our truest and highest self, our You-est You (or me-est me). Listening to your inner teacher is important, and this voice can only be found in the present moment. The present becomes a stretcher of grace, as Martha stated, and is where we will connect back with our core self. Understanding the meaning of integrity and allowing it to let your essence flow is what Dr. Martha Beck's book, The Way of Integrity, is all about.  A Year of No Lies When we split from ourselves, what we really desire is wholeness. A way to commit to our true self is deciding that we will not tell any kind of lies . . . including white lies. Martha gave herself the challenge of one year of no lies, and you'll have to tune in, and read the book, to find out what unfolded. The meaning of integrity doesn't just apply to your interactions with others but how authentic you are with yourself. What is crucial is rewiring from cultural expectations to your truth. This takes courage and incredible strength, yet the result will be the sweetest freedom and sovereignty that only integrity and being fully truthful can bring.  How To Live In Integrity When you are living in your truth, you will be brought into peace. The first step to living in integrity is to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Watch how this feels and how it might be challenging, especially for us recovering people-pleasers, and notice how your body loves the truth. The second step is to turn the light on your truth and see what is really going on. We'd never leave ourselves if we weren't afraid. Be gracious with yourself as you tell the truth. The third step is to calmly acknowledge what you're scared to look at. Sit with this fear and honor that it might not feel safe right now, but soothe and calm yourself that it's ok not to be ok. This will switch your brain and body from a fright/flight state of being to relax while in the presence of uncertainty. It's ok to be still and still be afraid. Allow yourself to be held in the stillness and know that you are ok even if you don't feel ok. What we're afraid of is losing a sense of control and self. In this process, you will rediscover your own divinity.  The Force of Light and Your Truest Self Dr. Martha Beck explains in The Way of Integrity that we are all the same . . . we're meant to go from misery to our natural state of happiness. When imagination is connected to your truth, it creates your own personal heaven, and the force of light can flow through you. An offering that can help bring you back to a state of calm and your truest self is to relax yourself. Try this breathing exercise where you surrender on the inhale and say, "I surrender my resistance to everything being in the Universe in this instance," and allow on the exhale and say, "I breathe in and allow everything to be in the Universe exactly as it is in this instance." This will help you to tap into your natural flow and surrender to a greater divine force.  Final Thoughts Dr. Martha Beck helps us understand the meaning of integrity and how we can not only understand it but align ourselves with it and live from a deeper state of being. This deeper state of living is what gives us the happiness and peace we all innately crave. You can find more information in Dr. Martha Beck's book The WayThe Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self.  Sacred Connection As always, this community is a sacred, safe place built on love and acceptance. It was created to help you evolve and expand into your highest self. Please share your wisdom, comments, thoughts. I love hearing from you and learning how you are being your truest, you-est you. Please join us in our Facebook group The You-est You® Community for Soul Seekers Join host Julie Reisler, author and multi-time TEDx speaker, each week to learn how you can tap into your best self and become your You-est You® to achieve inner peace, happiness, and success at a deeper level! Tune in to hear powerful, inspirational stories and expert insights from entrepreneurs, industry thought leaders, and extraordinary human beings that will help to transform your life. Julie also shares a-ha moments that have shaped her life and career and discusses key concepts from her book Get a PhD in YOU Here's to your being your you-est you! Connect with Dr. Martha Beck Website: marthabeck.com Facebook: @MarthaBeck Twitter: @MarthaBeck Instagram: @themarthabeck Enjoying the show? For iTunes listeners, get automatic downloads and share the love by subscribing, rating & reviewing here! *Share what you are struggling with or looking to transform with Julie at podcast@juliereisler.com. 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