I have been reading ‘The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth‘ by John. C Maxwell; it has been one of the more insightful reads I’ve come across in awhile! I could and probably will do a blog post on every chapter because it is just that good.
I have always been obsessed with the concept of character. I am all about self-growth, help, and fine tuning yourself to be your best version to better impact and connect with the community. Character is the most important thing I value and pay attention to. Those I keep closest to me are with reputable character. It’s with a purpose as I see people of good character as a way of keeping myself accountable. There are things I need to work on myself and this book has helped me with on those things, or at least take the first step in realizing my flaws. So I hope they can spark some sort of fire in your life too!
In Chapter 9, John C. Maxwell talks about the Law of the Ladder – how character growth determines the height of your personal growth and personal growth leads to personal success. I firmly believe that the measure of your successes are not always equal to the the successfulness of your character.
The quality most admired about leaders, or people in general, is honesty. Two professors, Kouzes and Posner explain that “honesty is the core of good character; it’s the quality that most enhances or damages personal reputations. People focus on their professional capacity without developing character and it almost always cost them in the end. I have seen this over and over again in various workplaces and with individuals in general. It costs them personal relationships and often the career. He likens it to climbing a long extensions ladder that lacks the proper support. The higher a person climbs, the more wobble and unstable it can become, until the person claiming it finally falls”. Most of these individuals fail because they focus too much on competent and too little on character. Shortcomings are the result of character, not capacity. Character growth determines the height of your personal growth and that is the Law of the Ladder.
Now, climbing the ladder of character is something that you develop, fine-tune, and continue to work on for years. It’s a mind-set. The first of them is focusing what’s on the inside rather than the outside. “The right motions outwardly with the wrong motives inwardly will not bring lasting progress. Right outward talking with wrong inward thinking will not bring lasting success. Your inside development is completely within your control. You cannot determine what happens to you but you can always determine what happens WITHIN you.” When you fail to make the right character choices within you, you give away ownership of yourself. “Winning in life is more than just money… its about winning on the inside… and knowing that you have played the game of life with all you had. If you want to be successful, you must prioritize building your inside instead of your outside”. He called this a ‘Reallionare‘ – someone who has discovered that there is more to money than having money. A person who understand that success is not just about being rich in your pocket; you have to be rich on the inside too.
The second way to practice personal growth is realizing that people matter. Be nice. Be thoughtful. Make it about them, not yourself. Practice the golden rule.
The third is to only teach what you believe. There is so much more passion behind what you do when do that. Maxwell stated that he would vow only to teach what he believed and that it has benefitted him not only in the area of integrity but in the area of passion. Why? Because borrowed beliefs have no passion and therefore no power.
The fourth is valuing humility. This is more of an umbrella term for the following:
– Remember the bigger picture, don’t focus so much on yourself.
– Recognize that everyone has a weakness. Be patient with others’ weaknesses.
– Admitting your own weaknesses. Be real with yourself.
– Be open to correction. In order to be more open to correction, don’t assume you will not mess up, just develop relationships with good people who will speak the truth to you. It’s about setting up accountability in your life.
– Be teachable. Having a beginners mind-set will take you places.
– Be willing to serve others. Putting others first right-sizes our egos and perspective. Don’t be someone who always feels entitled.
– Be grateful. Gratitude is acknowledging that someone did something for you that you could not do for yourself. Gratitude expresses your vulnerability, your dependence on others. Everything you do, every accomplishment you have had, every milestone you pass has come in part because of the efforts of OTHERS. There are no self-made men or women.
Lastly, strive to finish well. Keep building character and living at the highest standard until the day you tie. Do the right thing and become a better person everyday. If you desire to grow and reach your potential, you must pay more attention to your character than your successes.
I loved this metaphor by Orison Sweat Marden: “He was born mud and died marble. Sadly, some are born marble and die mud; some are born mud, dream of marble, but remain mud. But many persons of high character have been born mud and died marble”.
So after all of this, I’m sure you’re wondering, “What are ways I can build my character?”
1. Compare how much you spent in the last year on clothing, jewelry, accessories versus how much you spent on books, conferences, and that sort of thing. Compare how much time you spent in the last month on personal and spiritual growth versus activities related to appearance.
2. Plan to spend time in the coming months to serve others. Putting aside your own agenda and putting others first will help. Help fiends or family whom you know need help or volunteer once a month – and give it 100%.
3. “Habit is the daily battleground of character” – Dan Coats. What are you doing every day to develop the habit of character growth? Are you giving attention to your soul? Are you doing hard or unpleasant things? Are you practicing the golden rule?
Your character isn’t set. You can improve it. It’s never too late!