What is your integrity worth to you? Is it a specific dollar amount? Chances are you probably haven’t thought about it. Yet, there are opportunities that will come your way in which you outright declare to the world the value of your integrity. It is a point at which a line is crossed. If you cross it, you may never be looked at the same way by others who witness it.

Recently, I was out to eat with someone at an old-style diner. The look and feel of it reminded me of older restaurants back where I grew up. This one also had a bit of southern charm in it. All the waitstaff appeared to be friendly and welcoming. After looking over the menu, we placed our orders and asked the waitress for separate checks.

As we waited for our food, we talked about things like work and travel. When the food arrived, the conversation dropped to a minimum. After we were mostly done, the waitress returned with the checks. I looked down at mine, and saw it was a bit more than I expected. The main thing that gave it away was that I didn’t order a drink. However, it did have the right sandwich that I ordered.

I glanced over at the other fellow I was with and noticed his bill was cheaper than mine because there was no drink charge on it. I looked at him and wondered if he would say anything. She came back to collect the checks. He didn’t say anything and neither did I. For me, it was mainly a test of the man’s integrity and whether or not he would do the right thing. I knew if I couldn’t trust him to do the right thing with a $2 drink, I would not trust him with anything of significance.

I hid my bill so he couldn’t see it. I paid for his drink without saying a word. I didn’t want the man to be embarrassed so I allowed him to save face. But I have to admit, I never looked at him the same since then. It wasn’t about cheating the business or cheating me out of a couple bucks. What was a mystery to me was seeing him sell his integrity for a measly two dollars.

You may think you get away with dishonesty but eventually it will catch up with you in some way. The price is costly. Don’t sell out your integrity. Do the right thing!