View of the Week: On Character (Courtesy of Success Magazine)

For this edition of the "View of the Week" in the Education Road Channel, we wanted to feature this received from team at Success Magazine which we hope all enjoy:

October 7, 2014 FEATURED 7 Steps to Shaping Great Character How would you describe your nature or disposition? If you’re like most, it’s difficult to explain. Your disposition is one part of the complex entity we call character. Here, speaker and top-selling author Brian Tracy helps explain the ambiguity of character and gives you ways to cultivate a respectable one. Try these seven steps to help develop your personal character: 1. Decide your high-level values. What is character? Your character is the degree to which you live your life consistent with high, life-enhancing values. A person who lacks character is one who compromises on higher-level values, such as honesty, integrity, etc., in favor of lower-order expedience. Your adherence to what you believe to be right and true is the real measure of the person you have become to this moment. 2. Define what “excellence” means to you. Understand exactly what your definition of excellence is. Here’s an example of one definition: “I set the highest standards for myself in everything I do. I do my very best in every situation and under all circumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work and as a person in my relationships. I recognize that excellence is a lifelong journey, and I work every day to become better and better in everything I do.” 3. Organize your actions. Once you understand your high-level values, develop a clear organizing principle for your actions. Set a standard by which you can evaluate your behavior and create a framework within which you can make decisions. If you have a measuring rod against which you can compare yourself in everything you do, you can grade your activities, such as family, work, friendships, etc., in terms of “more” or “less.” Have a clear target to aim at and organize your actions around. Discover 4 more steps to help you define and live according to your personal values.