Sometime in 2000 I made a list of values and virtues that were important to me. These represent qualities that I am working on and enhancing within myself. This is part of my quest to be the best person I can be. By the time I had completed making my list, I had two conflicting thoughts; “wow, look at how many of these I have already acquired/developed” and the other thought “wow, this is a long list am I ever going to be able to do it”.
Nearly ten years later, I can say that this list has been an invaluable tool to remind me of who I am and who I want to be. It is amazing how much you can get done over time if you set your mind to it.
Many people consider investing in houses, stocks, bonds etc. however never consider investing in developing their own virtues. After all, what is the ROI (Return On Investment) of a virtue? From my point of view, the ROI from virtues comes back to you for your entire life. There is how you feel about yourself and there is how other people feel about you. If you develop the virtue of trustworthiness, how do you feel about yourself being trustworthy? How do others feel about you, knowing that they can trust you?
To me, add the virtue of trustworthiness to your other investing activities and you will see your results flourish. Think about the lack of trust that the public feels towards Wall Street and Banks at the moment…
Take an hour or so and write your list of values and virtues. Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up in the world? What is important to you?
Identify the top few that you are are committed to work on now.
Please note that this is not a goody-two-shoes list… for each quality there is an opposite negative quality. Often in order to acquire a virtue we “play out” its opposite. In other words we can swing from one virtue to its opposite and back again until we complete the lesson and fully develop the virtue. Once we have acquired one virtue it becomes a part of who we are and we move on to the next virtue. This is consistent with the concept of duality. Consider; up & down, in & out, black & white, male & female, active & passive, motion & stillness, yin & yang. These are all examples of duality.
Here is my list:
- Adaptability
- Adding Value
- Adventure
- Aesthetic
- Affinity
- Alacrity
- Aliveness
- Art
- Articulate
- Attractiveness
- Authenticity
- Awareness
- Beauty
- Beingness
- Bliss
- Brotherhood
- Caring
- Certainty
- Charisma
- Cheerfulness
- Cherish
- Chivalry
- Clarity
- Commitment
- Communication
- Community
- Companionship
- Compassion
- Confidence
- Congruence
- Connection
- Conscientiousness
- Considerate
- Contribution
- Conviction
- Courage
- Courteousness
- Creation
- Dependability
- Discernment
- Discovery
- Empathy
- Energy
- Enthusiasm
- Environment
- Equality
- Excellence
- Expression
- Fairness
- Family
- Flexibility
- Flowing
- Focus
- Forgiveness
- Freedom
- Friendship
- Fun
- Gentleness
- Giving
- Gratitude
- Growth
- God
- Happiness
- Health
- Heart
- Honesty
- Honor
- Humility
- Humor
- Inclusive
- Inspiration
- Integrity
- Intelligence
- Intention
- Intimacy
- Intrepidity
- Joy
- Justice
- Kindness
- Knowledge
- Learning
- Life
- Love
- Loyalty
- Making a difference
- Meditation
- Money
- Music
- Nature
- Nurturing
- Openness
- Partnership
- Passion
- Patience
- Peace
- Perception
- Perseverance
- Playfulness
- Presence
- Productivity
- Purpose
- Quality
- Rational
- Receptivity
- Relationship
- Reliability
- Resolution
- Resolve
- Resourcefulness
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Self-determinism
- Sensitivity
- Sensuality
- Serenity
- Sharing
- Soul
- Spirit
- Spiritual
- Spontaneity
- Strength
- Success
- Synergy
- Team
- Technology
- Tenderness
- Togetherness
- Travel
- Trust
- Trustworthiness
- Truth
- Unity
- Valor
- Value
- Vigor
- Vision
- Vitality
- Vulnerability
- Wealth
- Wisdom
© Goldzone Education. All rights reserved.
March 11, 2009 at 10:59 am
Harrison -
You know I love those qualities, virtues etc. Great.
great post.
Loy