Jon Butcher explains how Aristotle's idea that virtues become traits through repetition actually works. Pick one to three values like freedom, self-responsibility, or mutual respect, then practice them daily until they're automatic. That's how character gets built.
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We share a quote by Aristotle in the character category of Lifebook. And Aristotle said, good character happens when we turn virtues into habits. Good character happens when we turn virtues into habits. So if you want a really good character, it's a good idea to really get in touch with the virtues and the values that you want to inject into your character. Three values that I really hold high and that I've worked hard to inject into my character are the values that we live by in our. The first is freedom. As a human being, you have the freedom to make the choices that you want to make and to live the life that you want to live. You are the author of your own life. The second character value is self responsibility. You have the freedom to operate the way you want, but you must take responsibility for the choices you make and the actions you take. You do not assign blame to other people for the choices that you make. And the third value is mutual respect. You have the freedom to live the life you want. You got to take responsibility for yourself, and you will not violate the rights of the people around you. Those are the three values that we live by in our home. And I've really tried to inject those values into my own character. So the best way to actually choose a set of values or a set of virtues that you want to really build into your character is. Is first, take a look at the list. There are many, many dozens of values or virtues that you could choose. Take a look at this list and see which ones really resonate with you. Which ones of these would you like to build into your character? And then what you want to do once you've chosen one, two, or three of them, is you want to figure out a way to practice them. Remember, good character happens when we turn virtue into habit. And what does that mean? That means we practice and we practice and we practice. So if you want to choose a character trait like generosity or compassion, what you want to do is take a look at those traits and ask yourself, how can I practice them every day? How can I be more generous every single day until that becomes who I am? How can I be more compassionate to the people around me every single day, over and over, until it becomes a habit and it just becomes who I am? That's how to turn virtues into good character.
