“He just doesn’t have any character.” “Wow she is really of poor character!” You’ve probably heard people make statements like these before. If you want to be successful in life, you’re going to have to build character. A poor character can kill your chances in the workplace and at home. However, before you can start building your character you have to know what exactly character is.

What is Character?

Character isn’t something you can see, however, much like the wind, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Character is the underlying principles and values that you adhere to no matter what. They define not only your interactions, but where those interactions come from. In other words, not only what you do, but how you do it.

It forms boundaries for your personality to flow through. If you don’t have any character, or if you have poor character, you’re going to find yourself like a ship in a storm on the ocean. You won’t have the ability to say “no” to anyone, nor will you make the right decisions. You’ll simply find yourself guessing over and over again.

This is because you aren’t aligned with proper principles and values. That forms the basis of character. Once you align yourself with who you’d like to be, decisions and actions flow easily. They flow out of a strong center of who you are. There’s no doubt that character is important. The question is, how do you build character?

How to Build Character

One of the best ways to build character is to write out a list of qualities that you want to describe you. Imagine who you want to be someday. Create a strong picture of that person, make it as vivid as possible. That person is who you are going to become.

How would he act? How would he dress? How would he speak? These are all questions that you should ask yourself when creating your ideal person. After you have a strong visual image and idea of who you want to be, write it down. This will serve as an anchor that keeps you tied to who you want to be and gives you direction. You’ll no longer have to worry about being swept away by the storm of life when you have this anchor.

As you can see, character is important. Without it, you’re going to be in for a world of trouble. You’ll find yourself directionless and without much of your potential power. On the other hand, once you develop a vision for yourself and follow it each day, you’ll find your own power and self. Character is invaluable, and it’s one of the things you have to develop if you want to be successful in life.