In previous blogs, I’ve explored how gratitude plays a foundational role in cultivating happiness and making better decisions. Many readers have reached out, asking for practical tools and tips on how to live an ethical life—both in business and beyond. This series is designed to answer those requests by offering actionable strategies that anyone—whether an employee, organization member, or individual—can use to make ethical decisions grounded in gratitude.
This journey began with the development of the Bitter or Better course, which I created during a period of deep self-reflection while incarcerated. The course was born out of the need to understand why people, including myself, engaged in unethical behavior, often driven by external pressures like money, status, or power. Bitter or Better taught that real happiness and contentment must come from within, and through that realization, the concept of HOGA—Honesty, Openness, Gratitude, and Awareness—was formed. HOGA became the framework for navigating life with a healthier mindset, and now serves as the foundation for this series on practical ethical decision-making.
Gratitude doesn’t just make us feel good; it’s a powerful tool that ensures our decisions align with our values. When we approach life with a sense of appreciation, we’re more likely to act with integrity and avoid the temptations that lead to unethical choices. This series will guide you through simple, repeatable strategies, integrating the principles of HOGA to help you navigate life with a stronger ethical foundation.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect in the upcoming posts, each tied to the lessons of Bitter or Better:
Blog # 1: The Power of Gratitude in Ethical Decision-Making
We start by diving into the core principle of this series: gratitude. In Bitter or Better, gratitude was key to finding happiness within, even in a challenging environment like prison. In this post, we’ll explore how that same principle applies to decision-making—how gratitude grounds us, leading to clearer, more ethical choices. You’ll learn why a gratitude practice is more than just a feel-good exercise; it’s essential for aligning your actions with your values.
HOGA Integration: Gratitude, when paired with Awareness, helps us be fully present in our decisions. By being aware of our motivations and feelings, we can better appreciate the impact of our choices.
Blog # 2: The 10%/80%/10% Rule: Navigating Pressures with Gratitude and Openness
In Bitter or Better, we discussed how internal and external pressures often push people toward unethical choices. In this post, we’ll explore the 10%/80%/10% rule, a concept that shows how most people face temptations and pressures, but only a small percentage consistently make the right choices. We’ll focus on how gratitude and Openness—as taught in Bitter or Better—help you resist the pressures that drive unethical behavior and make it easier to stay in that top 10%.
HOGA Integration: Openness helps you recognize pressures and challenges, while gratitude serves as your grounding principle, ensuring you act with integrity rather than succumbing to negative influences.
Blog # 3: The Gratitude Pause: A Moment for Honesty and Reflection
In Bitter or Better, we often emphasized the need to pause and reflect on what really matters before making decisions. In this post, we introduce the gratitude pause, a moment where you stop, reflect on what you’re grateful for, and check in with yourself before acting. By combining this pause with Honesty, you gain clarity on your motivations and ensure you make the most ethical choice, whether in personal or professional life.
HOGA Integration: During this gratitude pause, honesty becomes key. By being truthful with yourself about your motivations and considering the long-term effects, you can ensure your decisions are aligned with your values.
Blog # 4: Ethical Checklists: Adding Awareness and Gratitude to Your Process
One of the tools from Bitter or Better was learning to use practical checklists to stay on track, whether managing emotions or making decisions. In this post, we apply that same idea to ethics, introducing an ethical checklist that integrates gratitude and Awareness. This checklist will help you break down complex decisions into manageable steps, ensuring you remain aware of your values and the potential impact of your actions in every situation.
HOGA Integration: Awareness plays a key role here. The checklist emphasizes being fully aware of the impact your choices have on others and yourself, while gratitude reminds you to appreciate the process and stay aligned with your ethical values.
Blog # 5: Building Habits of Gratitude, Honesty, and Awareness for Long-Term Ethical Growth
Bitter or Better was about long-term growth and resilience, teaching us that building good habits, like gratitude, can help us withstand future challenges. In this final post, we focus on how to make gratitude, honesty, and awareness daily habits that foster ethical decision-making in the long run. You’ll learn how to create a lasting practice that strengthens your ethical foundation and guides you to make better choices, even in the face of pressure.
HOGA Integration: This post will show how to incorporate all the elements of HOGA into your everyday life. By maintaining honesty, openness, gratitude, and awareness, you’ll create a lasting ethical mindset that becomes second nature.
Conclusion
Each post in this series ties back to the lessons of Bitter or Better, demonstrating how the principles of HOGA—Honesty, Openness, Gratitude, and Awareness—can help you live an ethical, fulfilling life. Whether you’re navigating personal decisions, workplace pressures, or leadership responsibilities, these practical tools will guide you to make better, more ethical choices.
Stay tuned for each post, and let’s embark on this journey together, discovering how gratitude can be the foundation for ethical decision-making in all areas of life.
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