Character is both formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday situations as well as extraordinary pressures and temptations. Like a well-made tower, character is built stone by stone, decision by decision.
Character – We describe the character of a person in reference to moral judgments about the worthiness of a person. Thus, to have a strong, great or honorable character is to be a person of merit, worthy of admiration and honor.
Good character is more important than wealth, good looks, popularity and even education. These things do not guarantee happiness and often they become obstacles to developing good character.
Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life.
Lincoln described character is a tree and reputation as its shadow. The tree will always be what it is but the shadow we see depends on where we stand and the angle of the light.
If you pay too much attention to your reputation, you could lose your character.
Gratitude should be felt and experienced sincerely, expressed generously and received graciously.
Character is just another term for “good person.” A person of character lives a worthy life guided by moral principles. A person of character is a good parent, a good friend, a good employee and a good citizen.
One problem with gratitude is that it competes with the sense of pride, self-reliance and accomplishment we have. We want to think what we have is the result of our efforts rather than the gifts, good turns and opportunities provided us by others.
Authentic gratitude is much more rare and precious than expressions of gratitude which are often empty courtesies or simply tactical ploys to encourage further gifts or kindnesses.
Gratitude is not a payment for a kindness but another form of gift.
Gratefulness is a payment everyone can afford.
We all have three characters: the one we really have, the one we try to convince the world we have, and the one we think we have.
Christmas has a certain universal appeal that gives it meaning well beyond a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Christians have a special duty to experience its sacred and profound spiritual significance and non-Christians have a duty to treat the day with special respect.
What you allow you encourage.
It is much more difficult to know what is fair than what is unfair.
Many things in life are not fair but all things should be.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for, not so we feel guilty about what we have that others don’t, but to be genuinely grateful for our blessings.
If we don’t invest now in building character into children we will surely invest more tomorrow in trying to repair adults.
I think Samuel Johnson had it right when he observed that hope is itself a species of happiness. So if we want to be happy it only makes sense to discipline ourselves to choose our attitudes, to think positively and to be hopeful.