Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or as the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation. My favorite definition of character is: “the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves.”
A common factor in all the definitions is that our character makes us unique. It’s what makes us individuals and differentiates us from others. However, something interesting for me is that character can also refer to a collective of people. A specific character, our mental, moral, and ethical traits or how we think, feel, and behave, can both set us apart or make us part of something.
Knowing this, it’s no surprise that successful people share some bits of character independently of their industries, careers, expertise, etc. These bits of character they have in common set them apart from the rest of the people and make them part of the successful people group.
Thanks to this week’s readings, I discovered some more traits of successful people.
Persistence
Defined as the fact of continuing in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty and opposition.
Perseverance
Defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Although these words may be used as synonyms, there are subtle differences. Persistence includes opinions and courses of action in its definition. Perseverance only involves actions. Then persistence is used as a part of perseverance’s definition but not otherwise. Lastly, perseverance’s definition adds the following phrase: “despite delay in achieving success.”
For me, these differences make perseverance a higher form of persistence. When you’re perseverant, you aren’t continuing or persisting in an opinion. There are no opinions anymore, just actions. The only way I can think of removing opinions as a factor is that you are acting on a truth. You are acting on what you know to be truth and continuing to do it despite any challenges or delays in receiving the rewards.
In my research, I found someone called Chris Mance who makes the following comment: Persistence is simply the act of pursuing a course of action with the same energy and consistency. Perseverance is the ability to maintain that same energy and consistency through the process of overcoming painful circumstances. Almost anyone can be persistent when the pain of failure, fatigue, boredom, fear, or trauma is not a factor… To persevere one must use their willpower to both not quit and not give less effort. Therefore, a persistent person can be stopped but a person who is both persistent and who has the will to persevere is unstoppable.
Aim to be perseverant and not just persistent. Make perseverance part of your character traits.
Key Takeaways of A Hero’s Journey Video
A Hero’s journey is to live knowing that every moment matters because you have a mission to fulfill. It also means seeing struggles as adventures, and setbacks as lessons, and knowing both are necessary for our development.
The hero’s journey paradox means the journey’s purpose isn’t your benefit if not to help others with your gifts and talents and find your own happiness in that process.
Advice and Application:
To discover your calling:
- Ask five people you know well what you do better than anyone else in the world. Press for specifics, examples, and evidence.
- Identify those moments of flow. What things do you do for the sake of practicing alone?
- Know that your calling must serve others. It must matter to you. What need today calls out to your heart? Where is there injustice or opportunity that you just can’t resist? What problem do you feel as if you were put on this earth to solve?
To help you be a good person:
- Write down a list of all of your “I will not.”
- For each of these “I will nots,” write a letter to yourself in the future, label that message in an envelope, and put it in your top desk drawer.
- Open and read these letters in your moments of great temptation.