There is no one path – to success or even to New York (or Kansas). Similarly, what matters to others can vary widely – so we tried to tighten up that question to focus on three key traits to see what most folks in our community valued most – intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Cherlyn Hayes
Integrity—without question. Intelligence and energy are important, but integrity is the foundation that everything else stands on. You can be highly intelligent or incredibly driven, but without integrity, neither truly matters in the long run. Integrity is what guides your decisions when no one is watching. It’s what keeps you aligned with your values, your purpose, and the people you serve. Read more>>
Marie-Eva Volmar
While all three are critical, Integrity is the most important, as it is the unseen currency of trust and the foundation for everything you build. Intelligence and Energy are powerful assets; they represent capacity and drive, respectively. But without the governance of Integrity, they can be easily misdirected. Read more>>
Taymar Walters
I believe that integrity is more important to me because it becomes a catalyst for everything else in life. I often tell myself that it’s not always about ‘if you can do something’, but whether or not ‘if you want to’. Read more>>
Krystal Vernee’
Integrity, without question. Intelligence can be learned, sharpened, and expanded. Energy can be cultivated and restored. But integrity is the foundation of everything, how you show up when no one is watching, how you make decisions under pressure, and how you treat people when there’s nothing to gain. Read more>>
Azul Towers
If I had to rate these, I would have integrity at the top, followed by energy, and intelligence at the bottom. I longingly believe that a person should be driven by a good moral compass, otherwise they will not only be susceptible to stray into evil but also might lack fulfillment. Read more>>
Yeins Gomez
For me, integrity comes first. In tattooing, everything relies on trust, people are literally giving you their skin and often their most personal stories. Without integrity, nothing else holds up. Intelligence and energy are essential to grow as an artist, to plan large-scale projects, and to get through long sessions, but without integrity there’s no real connection and no honest result. Read more>>
Lost Lyrics
Integrity by far. Integrity isn’t dependent on how you feel or how smart you are, rather where your foundation and/or moral compass relies on. Trust is a gift that should be handled carefully. Read more>>
Arielle Williams
I believe integrity is extremely important. Intelligence is important as well, but intelligence is not a prerequisite to integrity. An individual may not be insightful in the way we’ve historically assessed but pride themselves on being honest and having strong moral and ethical principles as so not to hurt someone. Having integrity fosters self-respect and inner peace thus creating the environment for good energy. Read more>>
Chawin Piriyagagul
I feel intelligence is most important since it is the foundation of who we are. It influences how we think, see the world, and react to it. To me, intelligence is more than just logic and information. It also encompasses emotional intelligence, empathy, and comprehension. With actual intellect, we understand how to direct our energy in meaningful ways and why integrity is important. Read more>>
Jono Madison
Good Morning, thank you so much for having me. Personally, to certain degree, it’s important that you will need intelligence, energy and integrity to be successful. From the intelligence of a mindset, the powers of reason are grounds of understanding what you do in order to acknowledge your next call to action. Read more>>
Shaunice Maddox
Integrity: let’s commence with the definition. The quality of being honest and possessing robust moral principles; moral uprightness. Recently, I have been compelled to reassess the individuals and business practices in my life, and I have discovered that those who uphold honesty and good morals consistently demonstrate integrity, which I find admirable. Read more>>
