“Good character is the best tombstone – those who loved you will remember. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble”
Colin Pearce -in his series ‘When all else Fails Character Works’ – defines Character as:
“Character is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do,
Whether the whole world is watching – or no one ever knows”
Boy! Oh boy! Is there some division, anger, confusion, hatred, blame, vitriol – continuing to go on around the world! Yet the world and its many varied societies still continue to function – how?
Dare I say it is through the majority of our societies acting with Character? There needs to be a ‘goodness’ that outweighs the poor behaviour.
When I interact with people in our community – the vast majority are doing their best and helping others as well. They have hearts open to the welfare and care of others. The power of Character is infused deeply in our community.
However you could be guided away from this by the over whelming constant focus in all forms of media and politics on CRISES, what is NEEDED and what we do NOT have.
I want to encourage each of you to continue to act with Character. Because ultimately you need to answer to yourself and the life you have decided to live. It is hard to be good – also hard to be bad. May as well do the best you can for yourself and others.
Character includes many virtues – Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Benevolence, Patience, Forgiveness, Creativity, Influence, Inspiration and many more.
Allow me to focus on six:
- Integrity is purity of intention.
- Integrity seeks success in the service of others – not at the expense of others.
- Integrity allows us to be the person we really are by reflecting it in the way we interact with others, in the decisions we make and the language we use.
- Confidence is earned.
- Confidence is developed and grown.
- Confidence is a result of practice and belief and conviction in our own abilities.
- Confidence allows us to better share and communicate with others.
- Excellence is about consistent, constant improvement in all aspects of our life – every day.
- John Wooden defined Excellence as: “Peace of mind attained only through the self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable”
- Loyalty is being faithful to those who depend on us.
- Loyalty builds trust in ourselves and others.
- Loyalty is the force that forges individuals into a team and the Confidence that everyone knows they can count on each other.
- Loyalty says that I can rely on the team (family) and the team can rely on me (family).
- Loyalty to others is needed for the peace it brings to us as individuals.
- Respect is showing compassion toward others.
- Respect is positively affecting others in our environments – by our actions, our words and our example. Respect is the glue that holds relationships and communities together.
- Honesty is accurately reflecting what we say, share and report.
- Honesty is precisely matching the facts about a person, incident or circumstance with what is said, written or reported.
- Honesty is the basis of trust between people.
Suffering, disappointment, confusion, division, joy, celebration, achievement, deceit, philanthropy, service, ingenuity, dishonesty, procrastination, action and poverty – have always been part of human history. And they will continue to be so.
We were each born to improve our own little piece of history. We cannot always have life going how we would like. However big any mountain may seem to be and how impossible it may seem to climb – it is through each of us acting with Character that will ultimately allow each of us to carve our names into the hearts of others.
The carving tools are – CHARACTER and the VIRTUES of LOVE!
“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.
So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it” Dr Seuss
