How to Strengthen Your Character and Improve Your Life

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How is your impulse control? What rules do you follow? Are any of them non-negotiable? Would you like people to respect you more? Would you like to respect yourself more? Good news! It’s not too late. It’s never too late. You can take steps to strengthen your character. #Character #BibleStudy #KnowYourself #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

How is your impulse control? What rules do you follow? Are any of them non-negotiable?

Would you like people to respect you more? Would you like to respect yourself more?

Good news! It’s not too late. It’s never too late. You can take steps to strengthen your character.

“Character” is defined as “the inherent complex of attributes that determines a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions.” In simpler terms, your character is what leads you to make the decisions you make and perform the behaviors you do in everyday situations.

Are you ready?

8 Steps to Strengthen Your Character

How is your impulse control? What rules do you follow? Are any of them non-negotiable? Would you like people to respect you more? Would you like to respect yourself more? Good news! It’s not too late. It’s never too late. You can take steps to strengthen your character. #Character #BibleStudy #KnowYourself #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

1. Know Your Strengths – Scoring yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 take an honest assessment of yourself in the following areas:

  • Honesty
  • Perseverance
  • Courage
  • Fairness
  • Judgment
  • Social Awareness
  • Forgiveness
  • Mercy
  • Self-Control
  • Patience
  • Humility
  • Gratitude
  • Hope
  • Faith
  • Optimism
  • Love

2. Know Your Weaknesses – Look carefully at your results from #1 to and make a list from lowest to highest. Why? Because those weaknesses are where you want to focus your energy.

“Every weakness is an opportunity for God to show His strength in your life.” 

3. Stop Making Excuses – Okay look at your list again. No excuses. No blaming others. You can’t improve areas you won’t admit need improvement. Now adjust your list, be accountable, and choose to change.

4. Ask For Help – Be brave. Ask your friends and family to help you by suggesting ways you can maximize your strengths and improve your weaknesses. Listen without being defensive. Remember your goal. Now adjust your list one last time (for now).

5. Be a Future- thinker – Set goals. Work on one or two things at a time. If you struggle with honesty, set a goal to tell only the truth TODAY. Then do it again tomorrow. If you want to increase hope, memorize quotes and verses that encourage hope. What would you do to grow in mercy?

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

6. Set Healthy Boundaries – This one can be hard. We all say we want healthy boundaries, but the truth is we often model the attitudes and behaviors of our friends. So, setting boundaries may mean limiting the time you spend with people who don’t model honesty, mercy, kindness, etc. until you feel you’re stronger in those areas.

“Evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of any relationship is your responsibility. You do not have to passively accept what is brought to you. You can choose.” ~Deborah Day

7. Quit Competing and Comparing – This is a personal project. It doesn’t really matter if you’re more honest than your friends if you’re not honest . . . and the same is true of the other character qualities.

“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.” ~Unknown

8. Forgive Yourself and Be Persistent – You’re not perfect. You’re not going to be perfect . . . you’re going to be better. It is important that you forgive yourself for past weaknesses. You have been and are forgiven so that you can know better and do better. Keep trying. Don’t give up.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:12
Would you like more respect and appreciation?  Good news! It’s not too late. It’s never too late. You can take steps to strengthen your character.

I’ve made my list of my character strengths and weaknesses and starting today I’m making intentional persistent efforts to strengthen my weaknesses.

Join me tomorrow when we’ll take a look at ways you can encourage your children and help them maximize their strengths and work on their weaknesses.

“People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.” ~Michael Josephson

What do you think is a common excuse people make about a character weakness? What is your strongest character trait?

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12 Comments

  1. My strongest ones are hope, optimism, and gratitude. I’ll work on the others! 🙂

    1. Those are wonderful strengths. I believe trusting God to help us and striving to grow is exactly where He has called us to live each day! Thanks for your faithful encouragement Martha! You bless me!

  2. I Love this quote: “People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.” ~Michael Josephson
    I think I struggle the most with comparison- in todays society it is a daily battle against the raging comparison happening on all the social media sites.
    Thank you for this reminder! All of the accolades in this world cannot compare with the inner beauty of a heart filled with Him.

    1. Brandi, That’s a great point. Learning to function in our God given strengths, allowing Him to use us and grow us beyond our weaknesses, and looking only to glorify Him. Sounds like heaven doesn’t it. 🙂 Blessings to you!

  3. Hi Deb! I was trying to figure out which point I liked best and I just couldn’t do it. I liked all of them! Comparing is a big one for me. I keep thinking of the passage from Scripture: “Are you jealous because I am generous?” Sometimes I honestly have to answer “Kinda….”
    My greatest character strength is compassion. I am a nurse, so I had plenty of places to practice it over the years. I have thanked God many times for his grace in that.
    Now, to remember all these fabulous points in this post! I know it will help me.
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    1. It’s hard to set aside self and not compare ourselves to others. I’m not naturally a blessing counter. It is truly by His grace that I’ve learned to practice gratitude. I love that your strength is compassion. We’re not always easy to care for when we’re sick. 🙂 I think my biggest struggle is in the area of hope. Thanks as always for your kind encouragement . . . it is definitely one of your strengths!

  4. My strongest are Hope, Forgiveness, and Love. There are certainly a few that I need to work on.

    1. I definitely have several that need work too! Whew!

  5. I am truly blessed. Mine are mercy, love, and gratitude. I will be doing my best to accomplish the other ones that I didn’t name so that I can be the child wants me to be. Thank you so very much for this site. It encourages me.

  6. I always walk away with deeper knowledge from this site!! Thank you for sharing to help others grow and learn. God bless you Sister! I truly want to be my best to honor and glorify Him. I’m fighting multiple myeloma and I need to know He’s with me! I continue struggling with what purpose He can possibly have in this!
    In Christ,
    Yvonne

    1. Thank you for your kind encouragement, Yvonne. I am so sorry you are going through this struggle. I can promise you that He is with you. He promised – “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. I’m lifting you up in prayer asking the Lord to be your peace and give you health. God bless you!