The test of a man is the fight that he makes, the grit that he daily shows;
the way that he stands upon his feet, and takes life’s numerous bumps and blows…
Character can be described as the mental and moral fiber that is distinctive to an individual. It is the thing that makes a person uniquely who they are and separates them from everyone else. But most importantly, character is the one trait that defines us at our core and comes to the forefront at the most crucial of times. Do we fold when it gets tough, act out when life throws obstacles at us, allow others to “take us out of character,” or do we rise above the worst life has to offer, fighting and clawing with everything in us to prevail and overcome.
The Josephson Institute talks about the six pillars of character and by using a color code, it breaks down character into six major categories – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.
Each category provides a meaningful definition of what builds character and why it is so important to maintain one’s character. Once character has been tarnished, it will follow you the rest of your life. Ironically, character is developed over the span of a person’s life and is not something that happens over night. Study the character assessment, determine what you possess and what is lacking, and start building the person you want to be.
Come back soon as we put the six pillars to test and find out how each one affects us on their own and how they work together!
“Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“A good name will shine forever.” ~ Proverb
“A man’s character is like his shadow, which sometimes follows and sometimes precedes him, and which is occasionally longer, occasionally shorter, than he is.” ~ Madame de la Rochejuquelein
