In John Maxwell’s book, ‘The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth’, the Law of the Ladder states, “Character growth determines the height of your personal growth.” For me this means the moment I stop growing in my character is the moment I stop growing as a person. If I want to continually grow I have to ensure my character is solid. So what is character?
Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. You can determine whether a person possesses good or bad character through their actions. There are many lists of character traits to help identify what side of the character line a person falls.
I want to share with you 5 traits I feel are essential for me to be a person of good character:
1. Integrity – following my moral and ethical convictions and doing the right thing in all circumstances, even if no one is watching. This is the foundation of good character. Integrity shows who I truly am by the choices I make when no one is watching. It is my barometer on where I truly am on the character ladder.
2. Honesty – speaking the truth. I was taught at a very young age not to lie. But it seems as I got older I started to blur the lines of what truth is. I tried to justify it by saying it was just a little “white lie” and it’s not hurting anyone. But every time I do that it eats away at my character and I move down the character ladder instead of up.
3. Respectfulness – courteous regard for others feelings. I can not be a person of good character if I don’t care for others. I can’t lead effectively if I don’t think your feelings matter. One of the foundations of leading is taking care of people and I can’t do that if I disregard your feelings.
4. Humility – a modest view of one’s own importance. In this day and age humility is too often forgotten. We become focused on touting our own importance because we believe it’s the way to get ahead. When I have a servant’s mindset and understand that it’s bigger than me it allows me to lead people in a way that makes their needs important.
5. Forgiveness – the action or process of forgiving. This is key in every area of my life. There will be many times that people disappoint or hurt me and if I can’t learn to forgive it will prevent me from growing. Out of the 5 traits that I listed this may be the toughest for me to excel at because it’s a heart issue. It is emotional. But getting past that moment of pain or disappointment and forgiving the person for their actions not only allows me to grow but gives them the opportunity as well.
Our personal growth is a continuous never-ending process and that growth is tied to our character. I believe to effectively lead others and grow, in all areas of my life, I must be a person of good character. What is your definition of having good character and are you following it? Take some time to list out your top 3-5 traits that a person with good character displays and use it as your foundation for continual personal growth.
Evolution of Self!
