Are You a Person With Character?

By Reg Scheepers

I racked my brains trying to come up with a way to explain what I mean when I say character. What is a person’s character? When I say character in this post, I’m not referring to someone’s nature or their personality.

Here’s what I mean when I refer to character:

“Your character is to your inner being what your skeleton is to your physical being. It’s the framework on which all your progress is supported”

I follow John Maxwell’s blog. In his latest post he settled an issue I had been struggling with for some time.

You see, I realised some time ago that in order to be successful I can’t follow my emotions; I can’t use my emotions to guide my decisions.

I have to be disciplined, I have to be steady (consistent), and I need a framework on which I can base sound decisions. (Getting up early every morning, especially since I’m my own boss, is not based on how I feel, believe me!)

Problem is I always felt like I wasn’t being true to myself. If I did something when it felt unpleasant and kept on despite my emotions resisting, it just felt like I was doing something pointless and unfulfilling, and I would quit.

For example, at one time in my life I visited young children with Leukemia at Unitas Hospital in Centurion. Sometimes I would go in and it just felt like my charitable efforts were pointless and not bearing any fruit. So I stopped. I thought to myself, “well if it feels like this it must not be in God’s plan for my life.”

Well the list below confirms that it’s ok to feel like that but not to quit unless it’s a character-driven decision to do so.

We must make our decisions  based on character, not emotions… on what IS right, not on what FEELS right.

The problem with emotions is they’re subject to change at any moment. People get married based on how they “feel” these days. No wonder marriages don’t last.

I’m gob smacked at how easily and quickly people break their commitment to each other these days. They hardly fight for each other, and divorce becomes an option so quickly, where in actual fact, it should be a very last resort. In fact the word shouldn’t even exists in your vocabulary cause if it does you’ll use it sooner or later when the going gets tough, which it always will when dealing with people.

The same way the decision to get married should be based on something more solid than mere “feelings”, so all other decisions should be based on something more solid than feelings as well.

When it comes to our decisions, I’m not saying ignore your instinct or gut. When I say “feelings”, I mean emotions.

Your character is your principles, wisdom, and discipline, so it’s a solid foundation from which to make decisions… if you have strong principles, wisdom and discipline.

Character-driven people…

1. Do right, then feel good.
2. Are commitment driven.
3. Make principle-based decisions.
4. Let action control attitude.
5. Believe it, then see it.
6. Create momentum.
7. Ask, “What are my responsibilities?
8. Continue when problems arise.
9. Are steady.
10. Are leaders.

Emotion-driven people…

1. Feel good, then do right.
2. Are convenience-driven.
3. Make popular decisions.
4. Let attitude control action.
5. See it, then believe it.
6. Wait for momentum.
7. Ask, “What are my rights?”
8. Quit when problems arise.
9. Are moody.
10. Are followers.

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