Are there any truths that are universally accepted, no matter what? I think there are a few concepts whose value is universally positive and something you strive to practice in your life.  Because if you involve these things into your existence, then your life will provide more value to the world, and the world will offer more value to you.  Developing a foundation of trust is vital to cooperating with others and developing a long-term pattern of personal growth and interpersonal interactions.  The universal truths accepted and practiced will allow you to live a more positive, productive, and successful life.  Fairness, integrity, honesty, human dignity, growth, service, and quality are things we should strive for in our lives.

Fairness

The saying, “Life isn’t fair,” is one of the first I remember learning. But that is not true because life is ultimately fair, and looking to provide fairness in all we do is a positive aspect of a person’s personality.  There are equal opportunities for all people to pursue in life. There is money to be made, fame to garner, a joy to find, happiness to experience for everyone. Our attitudes about these things ultimately dictate how much we see.  Fairness is universal and always available. You are in control of how much you experience in life.

All people naturally strive to make things fair in any group setting.  Selfishness, of course, exists. It results when people create their self-worth around material possessions and fear they will not have enough. Enough money, property, ownership, or anything else a person can think and feel is a status symbol. But if you take all of that away, at our core, we can all recognize the value of fairness and how the practice makes life better.

Integrity

The moral code with which we live our lives will define who we are to ourselves and the world. What do you do when nobody is watching?  I have known many people who were quite hypocritical in this arena. Putting on a charitable, kind face in one situation but then being something entirely different in another.  Developing integrity inside yourself of kindness, honesty, compassion, and understanding is vital to becoming the best version of yourself, and I think it is the same for all people.

Each person decides this for themselves, and it is not something set in stone. Like all aspects of the human experience, it is developing throughout your life. You can improve your integrity and grow as you learn through life.  Being more positive is realizing your choices in all areas of personal development and deciding to “be better.”  That road is always available to you to change, grow, and have more integrity in your life.

Honesty

Being honest is a much more complicated concept than it should be.  Too often, we do not tell the truth because of fear. Fear of hurting someone else on the positive side or fear of losing something, lack, or pain on the less kind face of things. All people have lied at some time, and the repercussion of that act will stay with you forever.  Being an honest person is a skill like any other, and it brings the benefits of trust, faith, and appreciation with it.  It always amazes me how many people never focus on being honest when dishonesty leads to nothing but trouble and negative life experience.

Honesty is the best policy because you never have to remember what you said. The truth is always the truth, and it doesn’t change.  It also benefits improving your character, energy, and ability to make a positive impact on life. In this world, we live in can be a challenge, and the person it is most important, to be honest with is yourself.

We Are All The Same on the Inside

Too often, we define people by what we see on the outside and ignore the inside of someone.  We are all the same on the inside. We have thoughts and emotions which are telling us what to do and how we feel about things.  These things build through our conditioning and conscious thinking about living.  We determine if we treat others with human dignity or not. We understand that all people you encounter in all situations are just another version of you, and your compassion for their condition can only help. When you have a choice to be kind or not, be kind to another. Please treat them with respect and understanding.  Regardless of race, religious conviction, problems, body type, or mental capabilities, all have emotions and thought to dictate their existence. We are all in the same boat.

Try today to look at all people through this lens and see the commonalities existing within them.  Each person you see has a nonstop river of thought and emotion running inside of them, just as you do.  They are trying to make sense of the information they are taking in and the reality they are experiencing. Perception is our reality.  Separations exist to protect people in a physical, emotional, and mental way. If you look at everyone understanding their similarities rather than their differences, there is nothing to fear. We are all the same.

Growth or Death

It is the way of nature in all things to seek a growth path. To become better tomorrow than we are today or ever have been in the past. Each day of our lives provides us with the opportunity to grow from our current state of living, thought, and understanding of the world and become something more.  What precisely depends on us and how we approach our lives. It is my experience we are moving in one of two ways for the most part. We are getting better, or we are getting worse. I have seen people with nearly unlimited potential refuse to believe in themselves and wither away into a recluse of self-absorption.  I have seen other people with less talent continually work and strive to be better, and those people always win in the end.  Growth is a universal part of life, embrace it and become a better version of yourself tomorrow.

You can choose to follow a growth path today and become a better person than you were in the past. It is up to you to make the choices that lead you to think better, act better, and become a better person. These options are always there for you to make. The fiber of your existence will depend on the choice you make in this area. Are you getting better, or are you getting worse today?  Strive for better and improve a little bit, and your life will start to flourish.

Service

We are not put here in this life to do things for ourselves. The people who follow that path are narrow-minded, selfish, and unhappy at the end of the day.  Our lives are meant to have a purpose, and that will be revealed when you start to put the happiness of others ahead of yourself.  What service looks like to you will be unique to your talent, temperament, interests, and personal experience.  Rest assured that life will put you in a position to provide a service to others.

It is common to look at yourself and fear you don’t have anything to give anyone needs. That is a mistake; if nothing else, you can offer kindness, caring, understanding, empathy, happiness, joy, support, and tenderness to the world. That is the decision of service you can make in any life and at any time.  Is there any argument that these things will make the world a better place and you a significant contributor? Think of service in this vein, and all of the small ways you can make a positive difference will reveal themselves to you. Have to courage to give your service and change the world in a small positive way.

Quality

There is an opportunity on most days to show what quality you carry inside of you.  It may be any of the above characteristics you display in your interactions with others or just the patterns of thought you choose to pay attention to, but the quality of your life is an important thing to keep in mind.  Your class will show in everything you do. Not in the initial results of an activity, but do you practice the growth mindset and strive to get better? Or do you stick to the little thoughts about your abilities and shy away from being vulnerable enough to learn something new?

Your ultimate quality as a person will be determined by the positive or negative impact you have had on other people and their lives. This effect is a choice that you can make every day of your life and at every moment. Determine your quality and understand nobody, but you are responsible for the amount of quality your life provides others.  It is a sobering question to ask yourself how much quality you have provided to the world.

Finally……..

Take an honest look at your life at this moment and evaluate the direction it is moving in.  If you feel something is lacking, then start by looking at how each of these universal truths is being practiced in your life.  It may be an eye-opening and sobering experience. But one in which you can make choices to improve in any area you wish.  Need to be kinder? Make that choice.  Need to improve your integrity? Do that.  Need more honesty? Be honest.  There is always a chance in every new day to move your life in a different direction. It is up to you to decide if you will be moving in a direction more positive or negative than before.

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes; it’s a universal truth.” – Marilyn Monroe.

“We can’t control what thoughts and emotions arise within us, nor can we control the universal truth that everything changes. But we can learn to step back and rest in the awareness of what’s happening. That awareness can be our refuge.” -Sharon Salzberg.

“Each of us embodies, in a particular tale and clothed in the garments of time & place, universal truth, and everlasting life.”- J.R.R. Tolkien. 

“The only time you have is the where and when of right now. There will always be good times, bad times, hard times, and complete disasters. However, there is no other option but to be where you are when you are. That is a universal truth for everyone. The important thing is how you respond, what you decide to do, and when you decide to do it.”- Chris Murray.

“Universal truth is not measured in mass appeal.”