How to Build Character?

Initially the word “character” (from Greek charakter – feature, peculiarity, scratching, marking, branding) was translates as coining or chaser and was used as a term to classify coins.

Nowadays, this word implies a sum of personal qualities such as honesty, firmness, loyalty, kindness and others, both positive and negative. It is the most significant description of a person as it defines his essence and what he is like.

Surely the character’s foundation is in genetics and something is added in the process of upbringing.

Nevertheless, every person can consciously build his character and develop some traits of character or, vice-versa, get rid of them.

Let’s see to every step that tells us how to build character, train your willpower and make personal qualities better.

What does strong character mean and why should you train it?

Willpower is defined by those qualities which tell us how to control our instincts and passion, let us resist countless seductions that we often face.

Moreover, a strong character is the freedom from prejudice and superstitions and display of patience, love and respect towards others.

You must understand one more thing before learning how to build character: define why do you want to build character? Why willpower is so important to you?

How to Combat Laziness?

It’ll be much easier to train your willpower if you realize the following things:

• Strong character allows you to achieve what you want and cope with difficulties, obstacles and failures.

  It’ll show you how to reach some serious goals.

• Willpower gives you courage to admit your own mistakes and weak points.

  The confession of mistakes is the first step to fix them and build a new personality.

• Strong will gives you power to stand your ground, in case the circumstances turn against you, and you’ll be able to go against the stream.
• Self-education and training of your character and willpower is sure to help an unremarkable girl become a strong personality and a confident lady.
• Developing character you are likely to achieve better efficiency in the sphere of influence – you can become a competent specialist at work or a recognized leader all the round.

15 steps to build new character

Having defined the obvious advantages of strong character you must begin to build it step by step. Here is the list of things you must learn to do.

1. Resist your irrational impulses.

   The great philosopher Aristotle said there were seven main human passions: love, hatred, desire, fear, happiness, sadness and anger.

   These very passions aren’t something abnormal for humans but they are subtle.

   They may pass our mind and make us their slaves.

   We start eating too much, go shopping non-stop, give vent to the anger, and get buried in the sadness and dejection. Everybody has his own weak points and passions.

   Training willpower you are able set yourself free from enslavement by the passions.

   Indulging your wishes is a sign of a weak character, and the ability to control your whims and emotions is the indicator of character and willpower.

2. Be glad to have what you have.

   Imagining that somewhere else the grass is greener or someone has a formula of a happy life, you put yourself at risk of not seeing the grass under your feet.

   Do not forget these are just your suppositions how good others live.

   You’d better concentrate how you are living and try to find only good thing around.

3. Deal with your feelings.

   A person with strong character can observe everything that is going on with the rational point of view, but not through the prism of your emotions.

   Learn not to obscure your mind with the chaos of your feelings.

   It may be hard, and sometimes even seem impossible to resist feelings which are deep inside your soul, but you can learn to suppress their appearance.

   One is sure to deal with emotions by resting upon common sense.

4. Train your leadership qualities.

   
   Do not be a despondent pessimist, because it’s not enough to be an optimist.

   A pessimist complains of the wind, while an optimist is waiting for it, so that he’ll overcome it.

   Leader, on the other hand, is doing everything possible to fix things and make sure his ship is ready to sail in any weather.

5. Be brave.

   If you avoid difficult situations constantly, you’ll have to abandon the victory and happiness connected with it.

   Don’t be afraid to do something new and have enough courage to resist injustice.

6. Be independent from others.

   Don’t let other people impose their will on you and don’t do it yourself.

   Acknowledge the fact that every person has his own concept of truth. You cannot please everyone and not all people with think the way you do.

   Find your right path and follow it without turns and steps back.

7. Learn to do good and avoid conflicts.

   Search for peace and harmony in relations with other people, aim for it with all your soul while training character.

   It’s not worth going over the heads to reach your purpose, without paying attention to the others’ needs.

   Try to do something good for others as well.

   If you think only about personal gain, you’ll have conflicts with people that surround you, which sooner or later will lead to failure.

   Though, if you act without violation of others’ interests, people will also try to support you and you’ll feel satisfaction.

   Your needs may also be satisfied.

8. Keep calm.

   
   Composure is the state of inner calm, which lets us concentrate and collect our thoughts.

   Without composure our passions easily arouses, and it’ll lead to the huge desire and interfere with the common sense.

9. Stay positive.

   Focus on the positive moments of your life, leaving no time for negative information.

   The less you think about bad thing, the easier and more cheerful your every day is likely to be.

10. Believe in yourself but not in destiny.

    Every person is responsible for his development and life.

    Do not be a fatalist, thinking that your fate is predetermined by many circumstances and you are not able to change anything in your life.

    This would mean a full refusal from any attempts to show initiative and improve your life and your personality.

    Work on the personality; change yourself and your life, because no one and nothing will do it for you.

11. Have enough patience.

    A person with character will never step back if he faces difficulties, he’ll go to the end and overcome all obstacles.

    Learn to postpone the receipt of pleasure from life to a later date, if it helps you reach your goal sooner.

    Learn to wait.

12. Overcome all fears.

    Very often our fears are based not on facts, but on our shallow observation.

    We are not afraid of the thing itself, but we fear what we think it is.

    After you overcome your fear, you’ll have much willpower to act victorious!

13. Clear your mind.

    To grow a beautiful and fruit-bearing garden, a gardener must clear the soil at first, and get rid of all weeds.

    Just like a gardener you must clear your mind from all thoughts that are like weeds, which ruin your faith in yourself.

    Protect your mind from such thoughts.

    Every time they overpower you, do something exciting from 15 minutes to an hour.

14. Be honest all the time.

    One must be always honest.

    It’s difficult, but if you are dishonest, then you are unfair to yourself in the first place.

    This may hurt you first.

    The inclination to saying lies indicates faint-heartedness.

    How can you possibly speak about strong character here?

15. Work hard.

    Wherever you are, make everything possible you are able to do.

    It’ll teach you to value time and the quality of rest, too.

    You’ll prefer not a festive idleness, but a nice, active rest which will make you healthier and younger, inspiring you to return to your useful business.

Now, when you know all about how a character is built and which traits of character one must develop in the first place, only one thing is left to do – take actions!