What do you think about character?

Excellent article. You summed up character nicely. Everyone should read this as character is often overlooked in today's culture. Keep up the good work.

i go with your answer, coz its better than what i think..

yes i agree with you, we have some innate attitudes but we take others according to experiences during the life.

If you're lucky, people will judge you by your character and not just by your appearance, but what do people mean by "character"? Your character is the sum of all the qualities that make you who you are. It’s your values, your thoughts, your words, your actions. When admissions counselors review your application, your activities and interests give them a glimpse into your character. Below are many attributes that contribute to your individual character. Building on these elements can help give you a stronger character and make you a more attractive prospect as a potential student. ATTITUDE – Your attitude is the way you feel about particular events or situations. It shows in your words and in your actions. Why is it important to have a positive attitude toward school, and your family, and your friends? Do you surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude? AWARENESS – Awareness means knowing what is going on around you. It involves all kinds of things, like the weather, or a sports activity, or a friend who is going through some tough times. Are you aware of things happening around you? What can you do to increase your awareness at school, at home, or with your friends? CARING – Caring means being interested or concerned about someone or something. It’s easy to see that your family and friends care about you. But what about other people in your life? Who are some people you are around every day who care about you and want you to do well? Do YOU care about those people in return? CHARACTER – Your character is the sum of all the qualities that make you who you are. It’s your values, your thoughts, your words, your actions…in other words, it’s YOU. Like it or not, you will often by judged by your character. Why is it important that you develop strong character traits? What are some situations in which your character might shine? CITIZENSHIP – Citizenship is the way you conduct yourself within a community, such as the town you live in or the school you go to. Good citizens give back to that community by doing things that make it better, while poor citizens try to tear it down. What are some things you could do to show good citizenship in your school? What actions would be examples of poor citizenship in the town or city you live in? COMMITMENT – A commitment is an agreement or a pledge to do something in the future. It’s like a promise, and when you commit to something you are giving your word that you will do it. What are some examples of commitments you have made? What are the consequences of not honoring a commitment? COMMUNICATION – Communication is the means by which people exchange information. The people who get ahead in life are the people who can communicate. What are the different forms of incoming communication (the ways you receive information) and outgoing communication (the ways you give information to others)? Why is it important to develop ALL of your communication skills? COMPASSION – Compassion is an awareness of other people’s problems and a desire to help. It can involve your family, your friends, or total strangers. Do you consider yourself to be a person of compassion? What are some situations in which you have shown compassion? CONFIDENCE – Confidence is a feeling of belief, or of being certain of something. It’s also called self-esteem. Being confident in yourself and your abilities is very important to your success in school and in life. What are some things that you feel very confident about? In what areas of your life do you lack self-confidence? What are some things that could make you feel more confident in yourself? CONSIDERATION – Consideration means being thoughtful of the rights and feelings of others. It means treating people the way you would like them to treat you. Can you think of any people who are not considerate in how they treat you? Now think about how you treat them…do you think they would be more considerate toward you if YOU were more considerate toward THEM? COOPERATION – Cooperation is the ability and willingness to work with others. There aren’t many things you can accomplish totally by yourself – it takes cooperation to make things happen. What are some ways in which you can cooperate with your teachers to do well in school? How can you cooperate with your parents on things that go on at home? COURAGE – Courage is not the absence of fear – it is the ability to face your fear. It takes courage to do lots of things, like playing a new sport, trying out for a part in the school play, or giving an oral report in front of the whole class. Why is it important that you show courage when facing new challenges? Can you think of a situation in which you had to show courage? COURTESY – Courtesy is a show of respect and consideration for others. Sometimes people show "common courtesy" to strangers and old people, but show no courtesy to the people who are closest to them, like friends and family. Have you recently shown a lack of common courtesy to a family member or a friend? What should you do to correct the situation and prevent it from happening again? CREATIVITY – Creativity means coming up with new thoughts or ideas, or new ways to do things. It could be a new hair style, a new way to decorate the gym for a dance, or a new way to run a boring old drill at soccer practice. What are some ways in which you have been creative lately? How will creativity help you later in life when you go off to work? DEPENDABILITY – Dependability means people can count on you. It means you follow through on your promises and do the things you say you are going to do. When was the last time someone let you down? Do you remember how that made you feel? What does it say about your character if you lack dependability? DILIGENCE – Diligence means sticking to a task until it is completed or mastered. Some people call it stick-to-it-ive-ness! It could involve homework, learning to play the piano, shooting three-pointers, or any other task you are trying to be good at. What are some things you are working on that require diligence? How will diligence help you once you get into high school or college? DISCIPLINE – Discipline doesn’t just mean punishment. When we’re talking about character, it means self control. If you have discipline, it means you take control of your own actions. Why is self-discipline important to your success at school, at home, and in your outside activities? Can you think of a recent example in which you did NOT show good self-discipline? How did that situation turn out? EFFORT – Effort is your willingness to try. It’s easy to put a lot of effort into things you like and things you’re good at. What’s hard is putting effort into things you DON’T do well. But that is where you effort is needed the most! In which school subjects are you putting most of your effort? Which subjects could use a little more effort on your part? ENTHUSIASM – Enthusiasm is the level of excitement you feel about something. Your enthusiasm shows that you are interested and that you care. Having enthusiasm for certain subjects or activities can lead you toward long term goals or your chosen career. What are you enthusiastic about? How could your enthusiasm create opportunities for you later in life? FAIRNESS – Fairness has many meanings, like doing the right thing, treating people the way they should be treated, and being impartial (not taking sides). You’ve heard the expression "Life isn’t fair", and sometimes it’s true. But sometimes it might be YOU who is being unfair. Can you think of a time when you treated a friend or family member unfairly? If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? FOCUS – Focus means concentration. It involves paying attention and avoiding distractions. Whether you’re learning geography or guitar or basketball, staying focused is an important part of learning. Can you identify some things that cause you to lose focus when you are studying? How can you create a study environment that will help you to stay focused? GENEROSITY – Generosity is the act of giving. Often it means giving up money or possessions. But it can also mean giving time, or a listening ear, or kindness, or a smile, or just about anything. So you see, you don’t have to be rich to be generous – we ALL have things we can give. In what ways do you show generosity in your everyday life? How are other people generous toward you? HONESTY – Honesty is truthfulness. It means you are not going to lie or cheat or steal. Honesty is one of the building blocks of strong character, and it is something you display every day of your life. Do you think of yourself as an honest person? Do you think other people consider you to be honest? Is it ever OK to NOT be honest with people? HUMILITY – Humility means being humble, or not thinking that you’re "all that"! It’s important for you to be confident about yourself. But going too far means you’re cocky, and that’s not a good thing. Humility makes you believe that there is still more you can do to learn and improve. Do you know someone who could use a dose of humility? Have you ever gone a little overboard and forgotten about being humble? INITIATIVE – Initiative is your ability to get going. It’s that drive that gets you started on doing your homework, or mowing the grass, or cleaning your room. It’s also what helps you get others moving on things, like starting a group project at school or getting the team to start warming up before baseball practice. Among your friends, which ones show initiative? Do you show initiative in doing things you are responsible for? INTEGRITY – Integrity is like a code of honor. If you have integrity, it means that you have certain values and beliefs that you live by. It also means you respect the values and beliefs of others. Integrity is a lot like honesty – it’s one of the building blocks of character. Who are some of the adults in