The late great American Basketball player, John Wooden says “Be more concerned with your Character than your reputation, because your Character is what you really are , while your reputation is merely what others think of you “.
Today people are learning new and varied ways of forming their identity. The idea of one’s self begins to change depending on the society in which one lives . Instead of defining the self through the possession of virtues , material possessions have become the new means of defining the self .
Your reputation may not lead you to success but Character will . Very rightly someone has said – Wealth is not power, Strength is not power, Knowledge is not power, Ability is not power, But Character is power. You may have money, position and power, but if you do not have good Character, you will be just one among many ,But if you are a person of good Character, you will be considered successful. Hence the formation of good Character is the classic example of life .
Authenticity is everything! You have to wake up every day and look the mirror, and you want to be proud of the person who’s looking back at you. And you can only do that if you’re being honest with yourself and being a person of high character. You have an opportunity every single day to write that story of your life.
When people say , he/she has Character, what they mean is that he/she has good Character. There are many factors that shape or influence your Character . But the greatest influence on your Character is the way you respond to the circumstances, events and persons in you life. In fact your Character begins to be formed from the very moment you are born and is largely influenced by the ambiance of the place where you grow up , and by the way you are brought up .
Remember that you are being moulded every moment of your life .These men and women of undisputable virtues need a vehicle to spread their assets-locally or even globally .
Compassion, honesty, truth and ethics have to be disseminated far and wide . Rotary provides us unique opportunity to send signals all around us to promote all that we desire and all that the world deserves .
So what is your main concern? Your Character formation or your reputation? Are you ready to do your part to be a man or woman of good Character?