Can you imagine what a wonderful week this would have been for the United States if all of us – close to 300,000,000 – had tried to exercise character? Imagine what it would have been like if every politician had exercised character this week. Wouldn’t that be amazing!?
I’m reminded of the kitten’s words in Christopher Cat’s Character Club: “Seventeen cats Farmer Green has, and all without character….”
Close to 300 million documented citizens the US has, and how many without character?
Does it matter? Why have a character education program in your local school? Why think about moral excellence? You have enough to think about already, right? Does character really change anything?
Character changes most of life in a positive way. It tends to increase safety, health, and love in our lives. It has been proven to save money, and get results in improving relationships such as dating, marriage, friendships, and business relationships. It is guaranteed to make you a better person. And although it is not something new, it will seem new to those who build it, and to those who experience its benefits.
Imagine for a minute that you had exercised character this past week. Would you have changed any of your actions? Picture yourself five years from now, still as interested in character building as you are today. Will you be regarded as a responsible individual, entrusted with increasing power in your place of employment? Will you be considered a man or woman who has the courage of your convictions? Will your integrity go before you, trumpeting your moral excellence?
National Character Counts Week is for you. It is only one week, but like the turn of the year, it can make a big difference if it jolts you into making and keeping resolutions to build character. As you sit there reading these words, you find yourself thinking more about how your life could be changed for the better with stronger character. You take a brief inventory of your present character. You begin to understand that there are areas in which moral excellence is lacking. The further you read, the more you want to look at a list of character traits and see how many you have.
What if you made a National Character Week resolution to build your character? What if, when you finished this BLOG entry, you set some crystal clear goals, with dates as to when you expect to accomplish those character goals?
Let me ask you, if you were to do that, would you be any different by the time National Character Week rolls around in 2006? Would you feel better about yourself? Would any one notice that you had changed?
I would love to challenge every politician in our nation to make such clear character goals, and fulfill them in the coming year – but I can’t. All I can do is challenge you and me. Perhaps, if you and I change, and we challenge a few more to change, and they challenge a few more, and so on – next year’s National Character Counts Week could be observed with more passion and purpose.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?