If you are reading this blog, you are likely on a self-improvement journey. Looking to improve who you are or how you interact in the world, with others, or even with yourself.
In this week’s blog, I thought exploring the seven virtues I believe every person should have. It is so easy to see the negative about people these days, but how many people can you say have one, let alone all seven of these virtues?
As you read through this week’s blog, ask yourself this question even better how many of these virtues can you say you exercise regularly?
Allow me to kick things off with,
Patience
What is Patience? According to Wikipedia, Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay, tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger, or forbearance when under strain.
In daily life, it can be tough to have this virtue, and if you look around, there are so many people who have never learned the skill or art of this particular virtue, have you?
I can tell you from personal experience that patience usually comes with lots of practice. People faced with lots of difficult or high-stress situations tend to be far stronger in this particular virtue than the average person.
Humility
This is another great virtue to have, so what does it mean to have humility? According to the dictionary, it means a modest or low view of one’s importance; humbleness.
According to Wikipedia, Humility is the quality of being humble or a low self-regard and a sense of unworthiness. In a religious context, humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity or deities and subsequent submission to say deity as a member of that religion.
In layman’s terms, this does not mean to think down on yourself or less of yourself in general but to think of yourself as if you are not more or better than anyone else.
It is important to see your talents, skills, and gifts, which will make you special in your way but not better or worse than anyone else, only different or unique in comparison to them.
Compassion
This is a virtue I have noticed people seem to have more of these days, so what is compassion? According to Wikipedia, Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others. Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, an emotional aspect of suffering.
I find that people have an easier time with this practical virtue or skill, I would gather, because so many of us know in one way or another what suffering or misfortune is. Would you agree or disagree with this? Please, feel free to leave your comment in the box below.
Integrity
This is one of the most important virtues to have, in my personal opinion. The meaning of integrity, according to the dictionary, is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness; according to Wikipedia, Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions.
People have said throughout the ages that all you have is your name. This concerns your level of integrity. The more of this particular virtue you have, the better people will regard you as a whole, meaning life tends to work easier for you in the long run simply because integrity allows people to know they can trust you.
Kindness
This is a virtue the world can never have enough of; in my opinion, many people would live better lives or at least get through their day so much better if only shown a little kindness.
So, what is kindness? According to the Dictionary, kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. According to Wikipedia, Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward.
Believe it or not, this is a topic that is talked about more than even love in the bible. It is one of the most profound virtues, and a single act of kindness can truly and completely change lives for the better.
Loyalty
I can honestly say this is a virtue I do not see enough of in this world. It seems to me that most people tend to show loyalty to those of influence or have a certain level of popularity, and some people have no real concept of loyalty.
The definition of loyalty, according to the Dictionary, is a strong feeling of support or allegiance. According to Wikipedia, Loyalty, in general, use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the object of loyalty.
It would be nice to see more people remain loyal to others or certain causes even if things get hard or don’t work out as planned. Loyalty is a virtue that gives as much as it requires, and you will understand what I mean for those who are strong in this virtue.
Self-Control
Now, for the final virtue, which is the most important of all the virtues I have gone over today. What is self-control?
According to the Dictionary, the ability to control oneself, particularly one’s emotions and desires, or express them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations. According to Wikipedia, Self-control is an aspect of inhibitory control or the ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. As an executive function, self-control is a cognitive process necessary for regulating one’s behavior to achieve specific goals.
According to google Self-control is the mother of all virtues. It is the foundation of all we have to do to please God, obey His commandments, and do His will. It is the virtue we need to be an asset in society. It is the virtue we need to be in union with God and maintain a genuine friendship with fellow human beings.
How much better of a world would this be if more people could demonstrate self-control in their own lives. It’s something to take some time and think about, how could you improve or add this virtue into your life and how, by doing so, you can profoundly change the way in which you live your life and affect other people’s lives as well.
As I come to a close with this piece, I encourage you to take some time to see if you demonstrate any, if not all, these virtues in your life. What could you do differently to add these virtues into your daily practices if not? How do you think they could change your life or impact others people’s lives for the better?
I hope you enjoyed this piece. If you would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to do so below, as I would love to read what you would like to share.
Until next time, Namaste.
Leave a Reply