Doesn't is all start and end with one thing?

Integrity.  It is what I want to wake up with - and always go to bed with.  It is easy to lose and hard to regain - and worth more than any price that I can imagine.  And integrity is probably what will keep me from getting some photography jobs - but hopefully it is also what will help me to get others.  My hope and desire is to be a flourishing and successful photographer - and have it all built on my integrity and talent.  It doesn't take long to look around and see that many people think their integrity is something that doesn't matter when they are making business decisions, or trying to get the best grade or get ahead at something.  But for me, I can't imagine that it isn't even more important to remember at those time!  Raising three children into their adulthood takes you through many life lessons involving integrity - and teaching them exactly what it means.  It can be from something as small as lying when there's a phone call for someone..."sorry, they are not here" when they are standing right in front of you... to not making it very clear that being trustworthy and kind is the only way to be.  So this comes around to my decision to start my photography business at 45... and the many times that I am faced with choices involving integrity.  Whether it comes down to actually losing a friendship (or something that I might have thought was a friendship!) because you have the integrity to stand up for yourself - or choosing not to run over others who are in the same profession to try to get ahead.  For me, that is never worth it.  So I have promised myself that I will be honest in what I do... that I will do the very best job I am capable of doing for someone.  And if I am approached about a job that I don't feel I can do the best for the client - I will be honest with them about it, and steer them in a direction if I know of a good direction they should go.  I am following all of the rules - from not putting copyrighted music on my website (which, I got something much more awesome anyway!) to making sure the business side of my photography business follows all of the laws.  How can I look at one of the photos I've taken of a sweet innocent new baby and feel any kind of joy in helping to capture that moment if I know at the same time that I lost my integrity in the process somehow?  It's all comes down to choices - and this, I believe, is the right one.