“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”—Zig Ziglar
We often speak of “character”, but what is it? What do we mean when we say “(s)he is a person of great character”? How is character obtained?
When we look at the many definitions of “character”, we don’t necessarily find the nature of character to which Zig Ziglar refers. The closest be come is a definition that associates character with reputation and the attributes or traits (in this case, moral traits) that distinguish one. Thus, character is an outward expression of one’s core beliefs and moral quality. Thus, he refers to consistent expression of who we are (or desire to be). We see people has having “good” character or “evil” character. In essence, it is the hero v. villain scripting in movies and plays. The foundation stone for balanced success, then, is upright character—the propensity to do the right thing toward others.
Character is learned. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing” (Abraham Lincoln). Character is developed through practice. If one desires to be a person of “good” character and good reputation he or she needs to conduct him/herself as such—fake it ‘til you make it. Act in good character, and you will develop in good character. “Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character“ (Heraclitus).
Seek to be a person of good reputation and character, and (extra)ordinary success will follow.
Carpe momento!
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”—John Wooden