a l i v e & a w a k e

Hmmm.... what people do to get someone else's attention. But you have to admit that something like this would draw a crowd. Although drawing a crowd is the first part of gaining influence, it's not what keeps it. Trustworthiness does.

Why would somebody trust you? This morning in our NLDC class we were discussing character, and how important it is to be someone who personifies the qualities that make them trustworthy. Character is your essence - it's who you are when no one else is around. It defines what you do when no one else will find out.

There are many ways people can attract others to them (appearance, talent, money, popularity and sometimes stupidity), but people will continue to follow someone because of who they are as a person; their honesty, their integrity, their competence, their personal security and their self-discipline. Without these traits, people soon grow wary, lose trust and eventually walk away.

One of the challenges for us as people who wish to positively influence others is to be exactly what we seem. It's for the outside to match the inside. This is called integrity (a close relative of character). A good illustration of integrity is rock - a kind of candy famous in the UK. The candy are log-shaped sticks that have assorted colours on the outside, and usually some kind of design on the inside. The interesting thing about it, is that no matter how you slice it, each piece is identical. That's the same with someone who has integrity. No matter what aspect of their life you look at (public, private), they are the same.

The other challenge is building good character. We discussed that good character takes a life-time to build and one moment to destroy - and we all know of people who have done this. Character is made in the small battles of life. It's where you simply choose what is good, when there is the option to not do good.

Making the habit of choosing good everytime is tough, but it is the only way. There are no shortcuts: and there are lots of ways life tests what you built so far. Things like Power, Praise, Popularity, Pressure and Problems all reveal who you are. It's in those times that the true you steps out of the shadows. When it does, be ready to embrace it for what it is. Don't try to hide it or cover it up. Then you can deal with it properly. So many root issues in life remain intact because we fail to have the guts to expose issues for what they are.

As a good friend reminded me just now, "In life there are ups and downs. But through determination and willpower, individuals can strive to reach their potential". Thanks Mr. Mellor. If he doesn't mind, I will add one more thing. A person will ONLY realize their true potential IF they become a person of good character.