Some years into my own work, this term entered my personal lexicon:  Intellectual integrity.  It resonates in many ways, but ultimately comes down to being honest with myself. The mantra is,  “It’s all about me!”  Learn it, it will serve you well.  I heard it often from counselors and others, but it only came together after several years.  The result was the poem “Home Again.”  

The instant you choose to rationalize, to evade responsibility, to accept contradictory interpretations of your actions, you’ve lost.  You have to strip yourself naked intellectually and accept what you see, to realize that your emotions often drive choices, and that choices are often defenses.  Until you seek to understand those choices and the reasons you do what you do every day, you can’t progress.