I'm picturing the kind of snowball we see in cartoons, where the smallest of snowballs starts down a steep hill, gathering speed and snow, and ends much larger than it began. The force of gravity does the work. The snowball "upgrades" itself by staying intact and holding on for the ride.
Integrity is a bit like that. You make small decisions that people are watching and they begin to see you as someone trustworthy, honest and loyal. It becomes part of your nature and when they look at you, integrity is embedded in their view. It is a small snowball.
Then an incident comes along where things begin to roll out of your control. You are accused of something that is not true, but the other fellow speaks loudly and convincingly. The powers that be begin to investigate but the facts fall into a gray area, and it ends up one person's word against the other.
When I was a principal, two students in trouble would tell me what happened--differing versions, of course--and the reality was no one witnessed the incident. I discovered that I didn't have to worry. I always said, "One of you is probably not being honest. I can't figure that out now. But I know that people who are dishonest have a lack of integrity and they usually get in trouble again. So I'll just wait and see if that describes either of you."
Time is the force that grows the snowball. All of us are students of life, and every decision we make alone or with others either upgrades our nucleus of integrity or threatens to dismantle it. If we stay intact--true to our path of honesty and loyalty--and hold on for life's ride, time will enrich our resume of trustworthiness.
Leading ourselves, one decision at a time.
