Ethics are moral principles that guide our actions and bracket behaviors into right versus wrong. Everyone’s ethics are a little different. It is important that you take the time to identify what ethics you have and what areas you still need to develop. This exercise is best done by writing it down, so that you can review it afterwards and reflect on any insights and changes. Run through the questions and answer them as honestly as possible. Then identifying any areas that you think need to be clarified or developed.

• What is clearly a wrong action?
• What is clearly a right action?
• Are my actions legal or not?
• How do my behaviors affect others?
• How do I know I am making an ethical decision?
• What would the average person do or not do?
• What would someone I admire do or not do?
• Am I proud of my actions, specifically if others knew what I was doing?
• Is there anything I need to do differently to feel ethical about my decisions?

My insights: The easiest way for me to feel good about my actions is to 1) Be honest with myself instead of trying to defend my actions and 2) Check in with my heart. If you do these two things it is fairly easy to keep yourself in check. *Another tool is to imagine a loved one being there when you do the action (like your mom, child, grandparent) and ask yourself if you would still do the action if they were standing next to you.

In the world: Not everyone is going to follow their hearts and act ethically. For various reasons people stray away or not develop their ethics. It is important that we do not hold others to our ethical standards, but that we stick to our own no matter what.

I would love to see who is going on this journey alongside me- so use the hashtag #30daysofMagic, tag me with @jessietherapy (facebook or instagram) , or message me so I can share your experience too.

See you in the blooms Friends!

– Jessie the Therapist

Photo by: Warren Wong; Unsplash