strengthening character

The New York Times Article, What if the Secret to Success Is Failure? by Paul Tough, resonated with my own belief of the importance of developing character traits in children, and not just focusing on academic achievement. I contend it is very important to work on character traits and developing the whole person as it is the foundation for all of life’s pursuits, not just in children but throughout life. 

The essence is that grit was one of the stronger predictors of success. I believe it is the foundation character trait along with self-control that all our goals and aspirations are built on. For without a healthy amount of grit, self-control or discipline, we would lose focus and give up on our goals and dreams. Although the article’s focus was on developing these character traits in the classroom, I think it is never too late to take a personal inventory of our character traits to reinforce those that we already embody, and perhaps set personal goals to strengthen and practice those we want to embody. And yes, I believe you can practice these.

I also believe that each of us have innate character strengths that we group under “personality” or “temperament.”  Some people have natural social intelligence and zest; some have a lot of self-control and grit; some are very spiritual and wise. Regardless, if each of us does a personal inventory of the 24 character traits (listed below) we will know which ones are our gifts, which ones we developed easily through our childhood and life experiences, and which ones we might want to strengthen. Each of us possesses the ability to become solid in all of these areas. And the ones that are the most challenging will be our proudest accomplishments when we conquer them.

Life is full of distractions and curve balls. There will be many unexpected challenges. I believe the strength of our character is what gives us the tools to weather the storms of life and as each of you already know, there will be some. So I contend character strength is more important than academic accomplishments. Strength of character combined with academic accomplishment is powerful. It will drive the direction of your life to be balanced for the better good and not in the sole pursuit of what society or the media defines as success, which is typically wealth and fame.

Building Blocks of Character*

  1. Love: valuing close relationships with others; being close to people

  2. Grit: finishing what one starts; completing something despite obstacles; a combination of persistence and resilience – not giving up.

  3. Zest: approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated

  4. Self-control: regulating what one feels and does; being self-disciplined

  5. Gratitude: being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen

  6. Hope: expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it

  7. Social intelligence: being aware of motives and feelings of other people and oneself

  8. Humor: liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing a light side

  9. Creativity: coming up with new and productive ways to think about and do things

  10. Curiosity: taking an interest in experience for its own sake; finding things fascinating

  11. Open-mindedness: examining things from all sides and not jumping to conclusions

  12. Love of learning: mastering new skills and topics on one's own or in school

  13. Wisdom: being able to provide good advice to others

  14. Bravery: not running from threat, challenge, or pain; speaking up for what's right

  15. Integrity: speaking the truth and presenting oneself sincerely and genuinely

  16. Kindness: doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them

  17. Citizenship: working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group

  18. Fairness: treating all people the same; giving everyone a fair chance

  19. Leadership: encouraging a group of which one is a valued member to accomplish

  20. Forgiveness: forgiving those who've done wrong; accepting people's shortcomings

  21. Modesty: letting one's victories speak for themselves; not seeking the spotlights

  22. Prudence/Discretion: being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks

  23. Appreciation of beauty: noticing and appreciating all kinds of beauty and excellence

  24. Spirituality: having beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe

*Peterson, C. and Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues. Oxford: Oxford UP.