Behavior and Character

This morning as I met with the leadership of our little house cleaning business, I was struck again with the variety of personalities that make up our team and how miraculous it is that we manage to function and excel  without some degree of violence. We have the stoic, the bashful, the quietly confident, the chatter box, the jovial one...no two the same but together a dynamite group. Despite our differences, we do have some things in common though, not the least of which is the knowledge that as we lead people, character matters. That was the topic of some of our discussion around the table this morning and an excerpt from the book Life@Work helped us along...

Behavior and character are related, but they are not the same thing. Behavior is what I do. Character is the person my behavior has made me into. Behavior is just one action. "I behaved badly in that situation." Character is the sum of my behaviors, public and private, arranged consistently across the entire spectrum of my life. Any behavior, duplicated and reduplicated, forms a part of my character.

Repeated patterns of behavior wear a series of grooves that form a portrait of me as a person. The lines of my behavior over time draw a picture of my character. Everything we do, every thought, every choice, is a wave with ripple effects. It is easier to see their immediate effect on others than it is to see their consequence on the rock core of our own character. Yet if you will look at the contours of your life you will clearly see the grooves shaped by the pattern of your past.

Every time we make a decision, we cut a groove. Every time we react to a crisis, we cut a groove. When we hold our tongues and practice self control or when we let them run loose and speak our minds, we are carving our character. When we say yes or no to a reckless temptation, we are signing our names. When you stand up to peer pressure, hold the line on truth, or return kindness for cruelty, you are cutting the pattern of your character. Pastor Steven Furtick said it well, when he stated that, "We need to  "predecide"  (he invented the word :)) what we will do before we get into a situation that requires us to make a decision." Because if we "predecide" and don't waver, the character groove that is carved will be one that will not bring shame. Author Anthony Robbins said, "It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."