Character

Character, from the Greek charassein, meaning to engrave, scratch, or etch. Led to the Greek noun charakter meaning a stamping tool or the distinct mark left by said tool.

Your character is what is stamped on you, the distinct mark of you. Aristotle referred to excellence as “what you repeatedly do (…) not an act, but a habit.” Character is the same. It’s not what you do in one moment. Who you are is shown by what you repeatedly do. Are you truly honest, caring, disciplined, driven, loyal, creative, curious, etc? You may describe yourself in any number of ways. It may be who you want to become. If you aren’t doing it habitually, it is not who you are.

Most focus on their reputation – the names others call them. Your identity, remember, is the names you call yourself. Start your focus there. Do you call yourself lazy, not good enough, loser, etc.? The mind is a powerful force. We become those labels we assign. Pick better ones. Aspirational ones. Who you want to become. Then begin practicing them, developing our character. Pick one, work at it until you’re living it out consistently. Now your character, the distinct mark of you, is a stamp of which you can be proud. What does your distinct mark look like and what do you want to do about it?