Your actions speak louder than your words. Are you acting on what you say is important to you? Everyday, in your actions, you say yes to some things and no to others. Whenever you say yes to something you are simultaneously saying no to something else. Let's say you get up early to go exercise. By saying yes to exercising you say no to sleep for another hour.

During the course of a day you will easily make one hundred decisions like this one. Yes to the blue outfit and no to the grey one. You make these decisions about food, clothes, and transportation routes. Sometimes you choose from habit. Sometimes you choose using your values. You decide that exercise is more important than extra sleep, and then it is easier to get up in the morning to do what is important to you. You decide that eating healthy is important to you, and the decision shifts from whether to “eat healthy today or not?” to “which is the healthier option?”

So what is important to you? Know your values and vote for them when you have the opportunity. It is deeply rewarding to reflect on your choices for the day knowing that you followed through on what was important to you. It produces a sense of integrity.

Consider how you spend your money. When you buy something, you are choosing to have that thing instead of money, instead of some other thing that your money can buy. And where do you buy your goods and services? Where does the money that you give to that operation go? Is that something that you want to support? How you spend your money is one more opportunity to make a difference in the world.

You decide to buy a new piece of gold jewelry, perhaps a ring or a watch. What is the impact on the world for that purchase decision? The company that made the jewelry bought the gold. They bought it directly or indirectly from a company that dug a 25 X 25 X 25 foot hole in a pristine area just to mine enough gold for the one piece that you buy. And the process of mining and processing for that gold leach toxic chemicals into the ground. Is that something that you want to support?

You decide to buy fresh vegetables for dinner at home. You buy them at the farmers market from a locally operated organic farmer. If you value your local economy, the environment, and your own personal ecosystem, then making this purchase is an act of integrity for you. What is important to you? Use companies that contribute philanthropically to your causes or share your values in some other demonstrable way.

Vote with your money. Intentionally reinforce your integrity.

This principle works very well in giving situations also. There are many places to contribute where you can make a difference in the world. When you know what your values are and what difference you feel passionate about, it is much easier to say “no” to the demands of other causes. If your passion is feeding the hungry, but you gave your alumni association your total charitable gifts for the year, then you may not be serving your integrity. Purposefully plan your giving and align it with your values.

What do you want to give to this year? Do you have a giving plan? Books such as Tracy Gary's Inspired Philanthropy can help develop a thorough giving plan. What are you going to say yes to? Are you ready to say “no” to everything else? It may help to allocate a specific amount for your giving budget as well as some social grease funds. Social grease funds are the small amounts of money that you give when the neighbor girl knocks on the door selling cookies or your best friend walks for a cause.

Make intentional choices about your day, your buying habits, and your giving choices to create a strong sense of integrity. Walk your talk. Vote for your values with your money, your time, and your energy. Ask yourself, “If yes to this, then what am I saying no to?” and “If yes to this, then what else am I saying yes to?”