“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.” —Theodore Roosevelt
How do you measure a person?
How do you measure a person? When you meet someone, what do you pay attention to about them?
As we go through our days, we are constantly evaluating the character of those around us. Naturally, most of the time people act within their character. Since this behavior is expected, we think nothing of it.
But when someone acts outside of their character, our subconscious screams “Whoa! Wait a minute! What is this guy doing?” We begin to pay more attention and evaluate why they are acting out of the ordinary.
Character, according to Webster, is “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person.” [1]
While you are subconsciously characterizing people, they are doing the same to you. Your character, as seen by others, is built one word and one movement at a time.
In fact, your character does not exist within you. It exists within the minds of everyone who has ever known you or come into contact with you.
But character is a choice. Each thought you have, each word you speak, each action you take is a vote for your character.
A man of character
Consider Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln was born to a poor farm family in rural Illinois. When he reached school age, he went to school, but only irregularly. Often, his father kept him home to work on the farm. Abe worked hard, and his father expected him to pull his own weight on the farm. [2]
Right here we have a few votes for the character of Abe Lincoln. He valued education but honored his father’s requirement for work on their farm. Additionally, Abe had a work ethic.
Abe knew that if he did not finish school, he would have no chance at anything else in life. He would be tied to the farm with no way out.
But Abe was not about to let illiteracy be a part of his character. He decided he would learn no matter what.
Lincoln chose to walk ten miles to town every week to pick up new books from the library so he could continue learning. Every time he walked those miles, he cast a vote for his character.
To quote author and strategic counselor Mike Foster, “you are ridiculously in charge of your life” [3]. Every choice you make and every action you take is a vote for your character.
You get to shape your character into whatever you want!
Imagine the laziest person you know. Maybe they live in someone’s basement, have no job, and play video games all day long. Each time they play another game instead of looking for a job, they cast a vote towards their character of being lazy.
Abe Lincoln on the other hand, cast a vote for the character of a learner each time he walked ten miles to pick up a book.
The slob sleeps in until 11:00am. There’s another vote toward laziness.
Lincoln stays up an extra hour reading his book by candlelight. There’s another vote toward literacy.
If you skipped your workout this morning, you cast a vote.
If you did your workout this morning even though you were tired and it was 33 degrees outside, you cast your vote towards yourself as a fit and active person.
Every vote you cast has a twofold effect. Your decision or action shapes your character in the eyes of anyone who sees it. But it also shapes your own identity.
Momentum
Have you noticed…whenever you’ve been consistent with your workouts, it is easier to get out and do your next workout.
Similarly, when you’ve been eating healthy, you continue to eat healthy.
When your work just flows, you tend to stay in flow for weeks.
The collection of positive votes keeps you voting in that direction with your thoughts, decisions and actions.
The reverse is also true. When you’ve been missing workouts, it gets easier to decide to skip the next one. Poor eating leads to more poor eating. A slump at work continues.
Those negative dips in behavior—negative character votes—keep repeating until you consciously break the streak.
How will you vote?
Your mind is powerful, but its power builds one vote at a time.
Take a minute and think about how you are voting in the election of your character.
You decide your character.
Here are ways to begin consistently voting for the character that you want.
- Decide what you want your character to be. What are your core values? One of mine is “Always take initiative”.
- Choose one value of your character and think of a way you can vote for that today. For me that might look like taking a definitive step forward in an area I’ve been procrastinating.
- Schedule it. Actually write it down in your calendar or task system. “At 12:30pm today right after lunch I will begin XYZ.” The more detailed your prompt, the more likely you are to execute it.
Get after it. Live on purpose.
