Character Defined

Currently my wife and I are taking part in something called the Mental Fitness Challenge, which is basically the flagship product that's just been launched by the LIFE business. It's a program that's taking 90 days to guide the participant through some practical and structured steps to instill better habits, such as making resolutions on principles in life and following them, and to fortify our ability to learn how to be successful people. Today's activity in the Mental Fitness Challenge, which you can think of as something like the P90X program for your mind, was the last in this week's material centered on the topic of "character."

Orrin Woodward describes character as "integrity times courage" (thinking of it mathematically), and I feel that's a perfect way to describe it. There's a big difference between having integrity to not do something wrong, or bad, or sinful, and having character to actually proactively do that which is right. Let me give you an example: A couple years ago I was sitting in the employee hallway area in Kraft Foods, where I worked. I was on a bench with the rest of my department crew, waiting on our last minutes of lunch break to wind down before all walking back to the time clock to punch back in from break and get back to work. A few of my coworkers were saying some things about a coworker of ours who worked a different shift (so he wasn't there to defend himself), and this guy was a friend of mine. A particular comment was made that I didn't like, something that essentially degraded his reputation (nothing colossal, but nothing very nice either, really); basically it was gossip. Knowing that gossip is wrong, I kept my mouth shut and said nothing to complement that part of the conversation. But my thoughts of contradiction to this wrongdoing stayed inside, and I ended up not saying anything. What happened there? I'll tell you. I showed the integrity to not join in their gossip about my friend. But I failed to show the character to stand up for him and vocalize my displeasure with their bad comments. I lacked the courage to put aside my own comfort and instead was content to know I had at least not joined in. 

It occurred to me while I study chapter 2 (on character) from Orrin Woodward's book "Resolved" that we have a severe problem with this issue of character in our society nowadays. Follow me here, and ask yourself if this doesn't at least somewhat resonate. 

When we judge others' character, or our own, on the surface, what are we basing that verdict on? Aren't we usually making comparisons and judgments based on whether we are guilty of gross and vivid failures in morality? Don't we find ourselves thinking, "Susie is a pretty decent person. She definitely isn't the kind to hold up a convenience store or shoplift" and then deduce that she must have character? Don't we look at ourselves, and consider that we haven't done this or that very obvious malfeasance and then let that be our proof to ourselves that we have character? Now I'm not saying that we are all totally and completely self-deceived. I know many people who are as aware of their sinfulness as I feel that I am. But what I'm suggesting is that we take our understanding of what true character is to a deeper level.

To have character, we need to start with a total honesty with ourselves at all times. When I fall prey to the temptation to buy a Snickers bar while out for my work day, even though I know my wife and I have discussed recently that we're on a spending freeze for the month, it may not be that anyone else but me knows that I just did something I technically shouldn't have. But that doesn't mean that I didn't lack character just then. Let's get even more specific. Leadership expert Dan Hawkins, in one of his recorded success talks, talks about even those things we tell only ourselves that we're going to do, and how failure to follow through on even those things is a lack of character. What takes place when we don't "follow through" is basically that we lie to ourselves, and perhaps to another. To keep with the example of that which stays between myself and me, how about the instance when I tell myself in the morning, "I'm going to go for a bike ride today because I need some exercise" and then I end up wimping out on it later in the day. Nobody else, save God alone, knew that I had committed - i.e. given my word (to myself) - to go exercise that day. But it was still a lie because I deceived myself. 

As we look around and see a society that we can all agree is circling the drain, ethically, let's consider that it's time to lead the way in having personal character. It's been said that, in order to lead others, we must first be able to lead ourselves. We must commit to honing our character, and our resolve to do what's right - and not just feel pious over not doing things that show up in the evening news - so that we can constantly be on an upward climb in personal improvement. This gives glory to God, as we truly do pure good works that others can see and praise our Maker for. This manifests itself in our service to our fellow man. And finally, this proves to ourselves that we are who we say we are, and that we'll never settle for letting ourselves down in the private or "little" things, that all count so much as well. Leadership starts with character, and character requires the courage to hold a high standard on ourselves. Let the words of Winston Churchill echo in our hearts: "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality which guarantees all others."

God bless.