How to Strengthen
Character
edits by:Difu Wu,
Know Jesus, the Truth who shall set you free--fundamentally, Eric, Maluniu (see
all)
Article
Edit
Discuss
View History
Build your character to have strength like a
lion
Character, from the
Greek word "χαρακτήρα", was a term originally used for a mark
impressed upon a coin. Nowadays, it is known as the sum of all the attributes,
such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, in a person.
Character is perhaps the most important essence a person can possess, as it
defines who a person is. To strengthen one's character is to mold oneself into
a productive person within one's sphere of influence. Here is some advice on
how to strengthen your own character, or to train your moral discipline.
edit
Steps
1
Strength of character is about freedom from
prejudices so that you love others as yourself, by extending yourself in
kindness and concern (freely, to the others' benefit).
Know what constitutes
strength in character. Strength in character consists of having the qualities
that allow you to exercise control over your instincts and passions, to master
yourself, and to resist the myriad temptations that constantly confront you.
Moreover, strength in character is freedom from biases and prejudices of the
mind, and is about displaying tolerance, love, and respect for others.
2
Strength in character allows you to accomplish
your goals.
Understand why
strength of character is important to yourself and especially to others:
Strength of character
allows you to carry out your will freely, while enabling you to cope with
setbacks. It assists you to accomplish your goals in the end.
It allows you to
inquire into the causes of ill-fortune, instead of just complaining about it,
as many are inclined to do.
It gives you the
courage to admit your own faults, frivolousness, and weaknesses.
It gives you the
strength to keep a foothold when the tide turns against you, and to continue to
climb upward in the face of obstacles.
3
Empathize with others.
The most important
way to strengthen your character is to empathize with others, especially the
weaker souls, and to love others as yourself. This may come at some cost,
causing you to examine your own motives so that you can empathize ungrudgingly.
Empathizing differs from sympathizing in connotation, as empathizing requires
you to project yourself and engage as needed (walk in and help clear the other
person's pathway);[1] whereas sympathy implies an emotional but passive
reaction, such as listening, looking and mimicking without extending oneself.
4
Favour strong reason, as Emmanuel Kant did.
Seek the truth.
Favour reason over pure emotion. The person with a strong character will
examine all the facts using the head, and not be biased by emotions from the
heart. Settle all matters upon reason alone, and avoid entangling yourself in
the chaos of your sensations.[2]
5
Be a leader.
Be neither a
pessimist nor an optimist, but a leader. A pessimist complains about the wind,
an optimist expects the adverse wind conditions to improve, but the leader
takes action to adjust the sails and ensure that they're ready to cope whatever
the weather.
6
Guard against irrational impulses, such as the
craving for sweets.
Guard against
irrational impulses. Aristotle and Aquinas considered that there are seven
human passions: love and hatred, desire and fear, joy and sadness, and anger.
While good in themselves, these passions can bypass our intellect and cause us
to love the wrong things eat too much food, fear things irrationally, or become
overwhelmed in sadness or by anger. The answer is found in always looking
before you leap and in practising good habits to free yourself from the
enslavement of your own passions. Inordinate, sensual appetites are the marks
of a weak character; the ability to delay gratification and practice self
control is a sign of strength.
7
Be content with what you have.
Be content with your
lot. Appreciate your own values and that which you have. Imagining that the
grass is greener somewhere else is a recipe for lifelong unhappiness; remember
that doing so is actually projecting your assumptions about how others live. It
is better to focus on how you live.
8
Be brave.
Be brave enough to
take calculated risks. If you shun the battle, you must forgo the victory, and
the joy associated therewith. Neither be cowardly, nor aloof, nor evade your
rightful duties, but be courageous so as to contribute your part to the
progress of humankind.
9
Fix on the right path, and walk therein,
turning neither to the left nor to the right.
Dismiss external
suggestions contrary to the resolution you are fixed upon. Every individual has
his or her interest foremost in mind, whether consciously or unconsciously. Neither
impose your will upon others, nor allow others to impose their will upon you.
Remain aware and accepting that different people will have different
suggestions, and that you cannot please everyone. Find the right path, and walk
therein, neither turn to the right nor the left. Govern yourself, and never
abandon the right path.
10
Learn to do good.
Learn to do good and
eschew evil. Seek peace and pursue it earnestly. Aim not for personal goals
that trample on others' needs, but aim after noble and worthy motives to
benefit society as a whole. If you seek personal gains, you will run into
conflicts with others, and, in the end, you will inevitably fail. If you seek
the mutual good, all will benefit, and you will also find satisfying personal
gains as well.
11
Master your feelings.
Learn to master your
feelings. Avoid letting anything other than sound reason dictate your decisions
in the conduct of everyday life. It might often be difficult, and at times
impossible, to not yield to feelings deep within your soul, but you can learn
to suppress their manifestations, and to overcome them through relying on
common sense and sound judgment.
12
Always seek the middle ground.
Be neither prodigal,
nor miserly, but seek the middle ground. The ability to seek the middle ground
is the mark of a strong character capable of resisting extremes.
13
Be calm, and you will have smooth sail.
Be calm in all
things. Calmness is a state of quietude that enables you to concentrate and
reassemble your divergent thoughts and meditate with profit. Contemplation
leads to ideas, and ideas lead to opportunities, and opportunities lead to
success. Calmness is a sine qua non of a strong character. Without calmness,
there can be no strength in character. Without calmness, passion can easily
become overheated, turning into an intense desire and interfering with sound
reason. Calmness is not the foe of feelings, but its regulator, permitting
their proper expression.
14
Be positive.
Focus on the
positives in life, and spare little time for the negatives. A physician once
said to a young woman complaining of all sorts of troubles for which she asked
of him a cure: "Don't think of them: it is the most powerful of all
cures." Physical and mental pains can be alleviated by effort of the will
to divert the mind into opposite channels, and exacerbated by the dwelling upon
them.
15
Oppose fatalism. You can change destiny by
adjusting the sails.
Oppose fatalism. Each
individual is responsible for his or her own development and fortune. To accept
fatalism, that is, to believe that destiny is somehow immovable, is to
discourage yourself from attempting all initiatives to improve your life and
self. Destiny is blind and deaf; it will neither hear nor regard us. Instead,
remember that fixing calamities and changing destiny for the better are ways to
strengthen your character and improve your lot in life. Work out your
happiness; don't wait for someone else or something else to do it for you because
it will never happen unless you persevere.
16
Be patient.
Have patience. An
individual with a strong character will not quit when faced with obstacles, but
will persevere to the end and overcome all obstacles. Learn to delay
gratifications in life, learn to wait, and learn that time is your friend. It
also helps to know which battles are worth it, and when to let things rest;
sometimes letting go is more important than clinging to a sinking ship.
17
Overcome all fears, such as the fear of
heights.
Conquer all fears.
Timidity is a stumbling block to success. Entertain no superstitions based upon
superficial observations, but accept facts based upon solid reason. Avoid
building your foundation upon sand, preferring instead to build upon a rock.
Once you overcome fear, you will have the strength of character to think, to
have resolve, and to act victoriously.
18
To grow a beautiful and fruitful garden like
this, you must clear the soil by removing all the weeds.
Just as a gardener
must remove all the weeds to grow the crops, so you must likewise dispel from
your mind all feeble thoughts, that act as weeds undermining your strength.
Guard against excessive emotions, and attribute to them their exact
significance. Whenever you find yourself preoccupied with some overwhelming
emotion, immediately occupy yourself with something else for fifteen minutes,
up to an hour. Many great warriors have lost their lives when they react too
brashly to insults, and go to fight prematurely against their taunters without
adequate preparations, acting merely upon a hot head. Learn to overcome such a
weakness with practice, remembering that anger is a common vice in all those of
weak character.
19
Have a business plan.
Exercise coolness,
circumspection, discernment, and prudence in business. Cultivate your mind with
logic, and conduct your affairs accordingly.
20
Be honest always.
Always be truthful in
all things and every aspect of life. If you are dishonest, you are dishonest
with yourself, and that is an assault upon your own character.
21
Work hard.
Finally, excel
wherever you are, and do your best in whatever you do. Work hard, and shun
idleness like the plague. By the same token, learn to appreciate quality
leisure time for its ability to rejuvenate and inspire you to return to your
good deeds.
Tips
Be happy.
Be happy. Happiness
is health. Happiness gives you strength to overcome the monotonous and dispel
boredom in life. It allows you to make the best of all things. Happiness is a
state of mind. It has been observed, that there are more smiles on the faces of
those of modest means, than on those of wealthy bankers on Wall Street.
Be a good friend.
Be a good friend.
Devote yourself to your friend, and be willing to sacrifice. Never hold
grudges, and dismiss all petty incidents. Live in harmony with others. Do not
be egoistic: always think in terms of others' interests.
Exercise!
Do physical exercise
to train your endurance. The mind and the body interconnect. So train your
physical endurance to strengthen your mental endurance.
Have discipline.
Have discipline and
self-control. Flee from bad impulses (including destructive works or actions
that one regrets later) -- and compulsive-obsessive behaviors that become a
habit and deform character.
No comments:
Post a Comment