Character Is Destiny

I Know some of you hate it when I post something I read somewhere else.  But sometimes it's really good.  So, bear with me.  This is worth the read.  Jim Paluch is a writer/trainer from OHIO.    I needed to give him attribution.  Read the whole thing.  It'll be good for your soul.

Gene

 

Character Is Destiny

Where does character begin? It begins in our thoughts, in what we think. Ask yourself these questions: “If I were invisible--able to do anything I wanted without consequences or repercussions--would I be kind or unkind? Honest or dishonest? Respectful or disrespectful? Reliable or unreliable? Your answers would say a lot about you as a person. These questions cause you to hold a mirror up and look at the inner you. Once we are honest with ourselves and understand the inner person . . . then we can begin to build or reshape the habits that determine our character and then ultimately our destiny.

It has been said that the farmer who cheats is only cheating himself--put off mending the fence today and you’ll be chasing livestock tomorrow. It comes down to a choice: to do what is most convenient or to do the right thing. Are you doing what is easiest, most enjoyable, or most profitable-–or are you doing what is right? Sometimes they can be one in the same, but, when they are not, then we put our character to the test. Though most people would never think of stealing someone else’s property, they might think it is all right to give less than their best to their work, their family or even themselves. Think about the challenges you face each day to choose between what is convenient and what is right. It is the clear choice between evading responsibility and accepting responsibility. The habit of accepting responsibility paves the way to strong character and a great destiny.

Vince Lombardi said, “You don’t do what is right once in a while, but all the time. Success is a habit. Winning is habit.” Your daily commitment to exercising your ethical muscles to the point that doing what is right is just a natural habit will reap incredible rewards for you. You work at character just as an athlete works at refining a skill in their chosen sport. The greatest athletes are never done improving on their skills. There is always a little more to be done in refining our character and developing the habit of doing the right thing. As a leader, your commitment to doing the right thing is setting an example to those that have chosen to follow you.

Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in life; it is the only thing.” What example is your team following? Your family? Your friends? I have often said to leaders, "Your crew is a direct reflection of you." It goes beyond this . . . your life is a reflection of you. Your character is your destiny. Create your destiny with the next action you take . . . do the right thing.

- Jim Paluch

 

	Definition of CHARACTER
The ability to carry out a good resolution long after the mood in which it was made has left you

 

	Jefferson on Character
"In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current. Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give up the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act. And never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing. Whenever you are to do a thing though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you and act accordingly." - Thomas Jefferson

 

	The Man in the Glass
When you get what you want in your struggle for self And the world makes you king for a day. Just go to the mirror and look at yourself And see what that man has to say. For it isn't your father or mother or wife Whose judgment upon you must pass. The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life Is the one staring back from the glass. You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum And think you're a wonderful guy. But the man in the glass says you're only a bum If you can't look him straight in the eye. He's the fellow to please – never mind all the rest. For he's with you clear to the end. And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the man in the glass is your friend. You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years, And get pats on the back as you pass. But your final reward will be heartache and tears If you've cheated the man in the glass. - Author Unknown

 

	Stretching the Truth
Do you ever S T R E T C H the truth ? ? ? ? On why you were late or absent . . . ? On how many sales calls you really made . . . ? On how many cookies you really ate? . . . ? On whose great idea that really was . . . ? On how much you really weigh . . . ? On how fast you were really driving . . . ? On why you really left your last job . . . ? On what qualifies you for the next one . . . Remember the truth comes in one dimension, straight up . . . and stretching it is just that . . . a stretch!

 

	Quotes
"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.: "I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me." - Abraham Lincoln "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, and only character endures." -Horace Greeley, New York newspaper editor "Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids." - Aristotle "A good character carries with it the highest power of causing a thing to be believed." - Aristotle