Developing a Great Character

Developing a Great Character

By Brian TracyWhat is character? Your character is the degree to whichyou live your life consistent with high, life-enhancingvalues. A person who lacks character is one whocompromises on higher order values in favor of lower orderexpedience, or who has no values at all. Your adherence towhat you believe to be right and true is the real measureof the person you have become to this moment.

The Value of Excellence

Let us say that one of your values is "excellence." Yourdefinition of excellence could be, "Excellence means thatI set the highest standards for myself in everything I do.I do my very best in every situation and under allcircumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work,and as a person in my relationships.

I recognize thatexcellence is a life long journey and I work every dayto become better and better in everything I do."Your Organizing PrinciplesWith a definition like this, you have a clear organizingprinciple for your actions. You have set a standard bywhich you can evaluate your behavior. You have created aframework within which you can make decisions. You have ameasuring rod against which you can compare yourself ineverything you do. You can continually grade youractivities in terms of "more" or "less."

You have a clear target to aim at and organize your work around.Put Your Family FirstIt's the same with each of your other values. If yourvalue is your family, you could define this as, "The needsof my family take precedence over all other concerns.Whenever I have to choose between the happiness, healthand well being of a member of my family, and any otherinterest, my family will always come first."

Choices Are Easier

From that moment onward, it becomes easier for you tochoose. Your family comes first. Until you have fullysatisfied the needs of your family, no other timerequirement will side track you into a lower valueactivity.

Take Charge of Your Own Character

DevelopmentThe wonderful thing about values clarification is thatit enables you to take charge of developing and shapingyour own character. When your values and goals, yourinner life and your outer life, are in complete alignment,you feel terrific about yourself. You enjoy highself-esteem. Your self-confidence soars. When you achievecomplete congruence between your values and your goals,like a hand in a glove, you feel strong, happy, healthyand fully integrated as a person.

You develop a kind ofcourage that makes you completely unafraid to makedecisions and take action. Your whole life improves whenyou begin living your life by the values that you mostadmire.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put theseideas into action.First, create a clear, written description of your valuesand what they mean to you. From that point on, resolve tolive consistent with your own definition.Second, discipline yourself to live in complete alignmentwith the values, virtues and qualities that are mostimportant to you.
This is the key to character.

source : www.motivasi-islami.com