Once we have acquired one virtue, it becomes a part of who we are, and we move on to the next virtue.
When you are on a Quest, this is how it works!
updated 6-25-21
Sometime in 2000, I made a list of values and virtues that were important to me. These represented qualities to enhance within me as part of my Quest to be the best person I can be and realize my full potential. By the time I had completed making my list, I had two conflicting thoughts. One was, “Wow, look at how many of these I have already acquired/developed.” The other thought was, “Wow, this is a long list. Am I ever going to be able to do it?”
Twenty-one 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 incredible 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, they never consider investing in developing their virtues. After all, what is the ROI (Return On Investment) of a virtue? From my perspective, the ROI from virtues continually comes back to you for your entire life: how you feel about yourself and how other people feel about you. For example, 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, Banks, and the Government at the moment.
Take an hour or so and write your list of Qualities, Values & 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 working on now.
Please note that this is not a goody-two-shoes list. For each quality, there is an opposite negative quality. Often 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.
Consider how duality works: up & down, in & out, black & white, male & female, active & passive, motion & stillness, yin & yang. These are all examples of duality. When we acquire virtues, it works in the same way.
I have found that once you embrace and can own both sides of these virtues, you no longer are stuck in duality and move to unity, oneness, and wholeness.
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
- Dance
- Dependability
- Discernment
- Discovery
- Elegance
- Empathy
- Energy
- Enthusiasm
- Environment
- Equality
- Equanimity
- Ethos
- Excellence
- Expression
- Fairness
- Family
- Flexibility
- Flowing
- Focus
- Forgiveness
- Freedom
- Friendship
- Fun
- Gentleness
- Giving
- Glamour
- Grace
- 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
- Mastery
- Meditation
- Money
- Music
- Nature
- Nurturing
- Openness
- Partnership
- Passion
- Patience
- Peace
- Perception
- Perseverance
- Playfulness
- Presence
- Productivity
- Purpose
- Quality
- Rational
- Receptivity
- Relationship
- Reliability
- Research
- Resolution
- Resolve
- Resourcefulness
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Self-determinism
- Self-expression
- Sensitivity
- Sensuality
- Serenity
- Sharing
- Sophistication
- Soul
- Spirit
- Spiritual
- Spontaneity
- Strength
- Success
- Synergy
- Team
- Technology
- Tenderness
- Togetherness
- Travel
- Trust
- Trustworthiness
- Truth
- Unity
- Valor
- Value
- Vigor
- Vision
- Vitality
- Vulnerability
- Wealth
- Wisdom
Good luck and be bold!
XOXO
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Leadership Advocate and Co-Founder of the Goldzone Group. I help leaders to master the new rules of leadership for the new economy. Over the past 30 years, I have visited more than 500 cities in 54 countries to explore, learn from, and help many of the world’s leading companies, leaders, and luminaries in science, technology, health, finance, and entrepreneurship.