Integrity

Qualifying School – known in the golfing world as Q School – is a harrowing ordeal. The players grind through a series of tournaments while their friends and family members…

In December of 1988, a song entitled Every Rose Has Its Thorn finally topped the Billboard Charts. Focusing on the heartache of unfaithfulness, the song gave Poison their first (and only) #1 hit.

But the band’s joy was tempered by the fact that the song was based on the real life pain of their lead singer.

In early January of 2016, the city of Perth in Western Australia hosted the annual Hopman Cup which lured some of the world’s most elite tennis players Down Under to try and capture their first tournament win of the new year.

Little did the spectators know they would see something about as rare as a Grand Slam.

Mr. Williams, a hardened businessman, was interviewing applicants for an important position in management. To find the right person for the job, he created a test; each applicant was asked the same question, “What is two and two?”

Simple question, right?

Unfortunately, many people’s talk is cheap. They say one thing and then do another which makes their promises as empty as their integrity. If the commitments they’ve made might end up costing them something, they break them without any reservation.

But when Michael Jordan gave his word, he kept it…even if it could cost him millions.

For years, he served as a highly decorated law enforcement officer. President Clinton appointed him to the National Commission on Crime Prevention and Control in 1995 and he was honored as Sheriff of the Year in 2001. A jail in Colorado was even named after him!

But when former sheriff Pat Sullivan broke the law, he was sent to the very prison that bore his name!

Robert Adams had just finished his shift on a sweltering workday, and wanted a refreshing, ice-cold drink and a burrito before heading home. Finding himself a couple bucks short, he went to an ATM to make a quick withdrawal…where he found a bag containing over $17,000 in cash!

Decisions. Decisions.

The American Revolution produced story after story of personal sacrifice for our nation’s independence. It also produced one of the most notoriously selfish betrayals in history. At the time, many people were surprised by Benedict Arnold’s traitorous deceit, General Washington included.

But if they’d known more about him, they might not have been surprised at all.