Character: Be a Piece of the Rock (part 2 of 2)

Continued from yesterday… If you’ve found yourself being sucked in by one of the four A’s: arrogance, aloneness, (destructive) adventure-seeking, and/or adultery – call a timeout. Do whatever you must to step away from some of the stress in your life, and seek professional help. Don’t think that the valley you’re in will pass with time, more money, or increased prestige. Unaddressed cracks in character only get deeper and more destructive with time. If you’re not struggling with any of these four areas, you should still examine the condition of your character. Ask yourself whether your words and actions match – all the time. When you say you’ll finish an assignment, do you always follow through? If you tell your children you’ll make it to their recital or ball game, are you there for it? Can people trust your “handshake” as they would a legal contract? As you lead others at home, at work, and in the community, recognize that your character is your most important asset. The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he also stays well clear of the “gray areas.” • Search for the cracks. Spend some time looking at the major areas of your life (personal, family, vocation, faith, community), and identify anywhere you might have cut corners, compromised, or let people down. Write down every instance you can recall from the past 3 months. • Look for patterns. Examine the response that you just wrote down. Is there any particular area where you have a weakness, or do you have a type of problem that keeps surfacing? Detectable patterns will help you diagnose character issues. • Face the music. The beginning of character repair comes when you face your flaws, apologize, and deal with the consequences of your actions. Create a list of people to whom you need to apologize to for your actions, then follow through with sincere apologies. • Rebuild. It’s one thing to face up to your past actions. It’s another to build a new future. Now that you’ve identified any areas of weakness, create action plans that will prevent you from making the same mistakes again. Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com