Positive Character Traits

There are just certain positive character traits that make a person an excellent human being. The allow the holder of these character traits to feel and act in a way that looks excellent to the world. They make the person feel competent, able and in a sense here doing what they are meant to do on this earth.

These qualities all blended together give one an unshakable character. In which one knows who they are, what they have to give and won’t settle for anything but the best for them and all the people that they serve.

But what are the most positive characteristic traits that a person can have?

What traits make for being a great human?

Well below, I get into the top 15 positive characteristics that we can develop. To really maximize our personality and potential in this life.

Enjoy

The List of Positive Characteristic Traits

Empathy

Empathy is one of those character traits in which we essentially see it from someone elses eyes. We seek first to understand someone. One of the 7 qualities of highly effective people in which Steven Covey talks about in his book. It is a quality that honestly I think we all want our recipient to have. When we are talking some some and they “get’ us, it feels great.

We feel as if we can truly connect and ultimately open up to this person. A couple tips on how to develop more empathy into your character include:

1. Put aside your viewpoint for the time being. See things from how they are seeing it.
2. Give validation to the other persons perspective. Do not agree just to agree here. Just show that you acknowledge it.
3. Listen to them with your eyes, ears, heart and intuition. RESOURCE: Qualities of A Good Listener
4. Ask people to explain their positive. Ask what they want directly. Don’t try to figure it out. It shows that you care enough to ask what they truly desire.

NY Times also talks about how to be more empathetic by

1. Trying different peoples lifestyles for a while. Visit someone’s mosque, church or place of worship.
2. Think about why some people’s behavior bothers you and why they are acting this way. Maybe it is simply because they are stressed out about work. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
3. Work on projects with others like political organizing, church committees or community gardens. It can help you learn the differences of many different types of people.

Integrity

Having rock solid integrity comes down to one really living up to their world. Being a person of their word. When they say they are going to do something, they do it. We can’t all get this one correct all of the time. But the more times the better. That when we say we will be somewhere at 8AM, we are there right then and there. And if we are going to be late, we call or text this person.

It also means that we pay off debts or make payment plans. So we don’t have to constantly look over our shoulder, avoid calls or try to duck when we see certain people.

It has to do with simply telling the truth. Not lying. Giving extra change back when the waiter gives you too much. Telling someone you are dating how you really are feeling about the relationship. So that you are respecting yourself and that other person.

Telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

This also comes down to living out your values to a tee. Developing core values and mission statements that you want to live by. And then doing everything in your power to live up to these values. Day in and day out. Which you really see how dedicated you are to your values when life gets hard and you are tempted to cut corners.

Resource: 419 Core Values Examples (A-Z)

A few extra tips to help you strengthen your integrity include:

1. Get comfortable saying NO. This will help you keep your word and not spread yourself too thin.
2. Be aware of how you are communicating. You don’t want to make plans with fuzzy communication then forget about them and then be a no show.
3. Reflect on commitments before you make them. To see if you really can come through and deliver.
4. Surround yourself with others who have integrity.
5. Apologize when you make a mistake. No one is perfect. And we admire people who can put their pride aside and admit their faults. Just don’t make a habit out of this.
6. Think about your character traits that are getting in the way of your integrity. Like making plans haphazardly. Then become more aware of when this happens. Then interrupt this pattern with the opposite pattern of being cognizant of making plans.

Loving

Being loving is similar to being empathetic. But I like to see loving at it’s true meaning. Which to me, is how a mother loves their child. It is exactly how the Bible describes love in Corinthians 3:4-8 as being

Patient, kind, not envious, not boasting, not prideful. It doesn’t dishonor or is self seeking. It is no easily angered, keeps no records of rights and wrongs. It never delights in evil but rejoices in truth. It seeks to protect, bestow full trust, always hope and always perseveres.

This to me is the best few sentences to describe love that I have ever seen. It makes me want to have more friends and family that are this way!

But it truly does remind me of my mother. Who is a living example of this biblical verse. I think it was actually wrote about her!

A couple more tips to be more loving include:

1. See all people as being the same. That way if someone hurts you or lets you down, you see that we are all imperfect. Just trying to protect ourselves and make it though this life the best way we can.
2. Respect that everyone’s path is different. That people are doing the best they can.
3. Give more of yourself to the world. People need us and often have way bigger problems then us. It gets us out of ourselves. And can even ease our own pain temporarily.
4. Evaluate your life. See where you are not being loving. Then work on one of those things at a time to become better or completely rid it from your life. Maybe you are quick to anger. When you do so, interrupt this pattern by saying to yourself that you are a happy and loving person.

Perseverance 

This is an very positive character trait to have. It is a great attitude to take on that almost guarantee’s one’s success in any endeavor in life. It is a trait that when one has it, that person has a feel that they can not be stopped by anything. It is about accepting the fact that there will be bumps in the road. Setbacks. And disappointments. Sometimes heart wrenching disappointments. But regardless of what happens, we will never give up. Never quit. Never surrender. It is an excellent quality to have.

One of the best ways to develop perseverance in your life is to tell yourself that no matter how hard it is or how hard it gets, you are going to make it! Use this philosophy with everything in this life. And never give yourself an out. Tell yourself that you are going to do it UNTIL. That you will take the courses you need to take. Build good relationships with the people you need to meet. Go back to school. Take the classes. WHATEVER IT TAKES to win.

Resource: How To Persevere When Times Get Tough

201 Never Give Up Quotes 

Patience

The patience that I am talking about is the type that is willing to be productive while waiting for something else to happen. It is not about being in a passive state, waiting for things to happen. It is actually the opposite. It is about doing the things day in and day out that will bring you to your goals and dreams. Working on that business for a few hours a day. WITHOUT giving up or getting frustrated or giving up. Like the quote says:

“Patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” 

It is also about knowing that things may not turn out exactly how you want them to be. To course correct along the way with finesse. Instead of letting it deter you or be the cause of quitting.

Seeker Of Wisdom (Curious)

It is said that pride goes before the fall. There is nothings worse than talking to someone who knows it all. Someone who has all the answers. That they have been there, done that. And can do it better than you!

Curiousity and wisdom seeking are great qualities to have in this life. It lets you see the world as a classroom. A place to learn and grow. And a place to always be humbling yourself as there is always more and more to learn and grow from.

You realize, when you have this goal, is that the more you learn, the more your realize you know so little.

You become a person who is always looking to learn something from someone. It also helps you be a better listener as you are always seeking to know more. It helps you truly understand someone as you are curious about where they are coming from. This positive human trait ties in with our first one, empathy. It helps you become more empathetic.

A few tips on how to become more wise include:

1. Get excited when you see people with books you haven’t read yet. Then go about making a list of books you want to read or listen to.
2. Always try new things. Learn new skills as much as you can.
3. Do things the hard way. Try not to look for easy ways out. Like when driving somewhere, don’t use the GPS.
4. Be OK with making mistakes. Take risks. Make errors. We learn faster when we give ourselves permission to fail. We then get better at it and then one day can even teach this new found wisdom.
5. Meditate. This is when we can quiet the mind and access infinite intelligence. It is said that prayer is when you talk to God. And mediation is when God talks to you. Both are great. And can help you become more wise.
6. Read as much as possible. Books are lifetimes of one’s own education that you can pick up in as little as a few hours.
7. Reflect on decisions you have made that may have been wrong. This can help you learn from your mistakes and make you a wiser person.

Achievement (Goal Oriented)

This is the type of personality trait that is linked to the “go getter” type of person. They know what they want out of life and are determined to be a success. The truth of the matter is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness as Zig Ziglar says. We all have what it takes to make our dreams come true. We all have capabilities that we can develop to help catapult us to greatness in this life. To realize our full potential.

This is such a great personality trait to have because of the fact that life is so short. And we only have so little time. But when we are focused on achievement, we try to get the most out of life. We feel good about ourselves as we are striving towards a worthy ideal. Which I have to agree with Jim Rohn when he says that this is what makes someone a success.

When we are constantly striving for achievement, we get a larger vision of ourselves. We feel good about our future. As there is hope in the present moment. Hope and confidence build from making a achievement a big force in your life. As your days are packed with purpose. Which as the good book says, where there is no vision, the people perish. It is true. We are walking corpses without vision. Because without vision, there truly is no hope to be found. And when there is no hope we feel very dead inside.

Achievement is one of the most most positive personality traits a human can ever possess. And they can also put themselves in an excellent position to give back to the world. Either monetarily or with the knowledge and wisdom they have picked up along the way. Or both.

Courage

Courage is an excellent personality trait to possess as it can be used to make ones life so much better. The more we take on the things we are scared of, the more courageous that we become. The more fearless we become. The things that used to scare us no longer scare us any longer. We laugh at things that used to frighten us. Or the simply don’t have much emotional charge any longer.

As the saying goes by Mark Twain:

“Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” 

I feel that what he meant about that is that there is nothing more to fear anymore when we face our biggest fear. You also build high levels of self confidence by facing your fears. You become a person that simply vibrates at a different frequency than the rest of the world. You move with a grace through life that makes other wonder how it is so easy for you to live.

It is nothing but easy, but this courageous person is forged into someone that gives this appearance to the world. And it really isn’t a facad. Life certainly does become easier for the courageous person and they don’t let fear stop them. Something that is a challenge for most of the population.

Another quick tip would be to tweak your psychology to support courage.Placing your body in a courageous position when you are scared. Your body is reacting off your thoughts. So you need to reverse your psychology. Pull your shoulders back and push your chest out. Literally stand there like you are the most fearless person on the entirely earth.

Tony Robbins talks about how to literally see yourself as wearing a Superman cape. As silly as it sounds, try it out. Feel how much better and more courageous you feel wearing the cape!

Then literally breathe and move your body as if you were the most courageous person ever. Feel that feeling in your body. This is a from of priming yourself for the results you want to get. Courage priming. And you can do so before doing anything you are afraid of, to make you feel more courageous.

Good Health

You can’t do good if you don’t feel good. Your mind and body just aren’t working good. You naturally start to feel much better about yourself when you start eating better. It is a great habit and personality trait to have to have the desire to master one’s eating habits. For it is an addiction today. And when you break free of an addiction, you naturally feel a sense of victory.

I can attest to this as I used to not be very strict about my diet. Now, I am very strict. It helps me feel that I have somehow become a master of a big part of my existence. That if I can beat my urges to eat like crap and replace it with eating clean and healthy, what else can I do?

A couple tips on how to be healthy include:

1. Buying more organic foods and local produce. Get into the habit of going to farmers markets and to health food stores.
2. Eliminate just one unhealthy thing at a time. And replace it with a healthy alternative.
3. Learn to read food labels. You want to avoid certain things that can cause short and long term health problems.
4. Surround yourself with health material and people. Follow fit celebrities, get health eating and living newsletters and magazines and of course join a gym.

The main thing to do when trying to be more healthy is to see it as ONE thing. Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking about all the things you need to do in order to become healthy. For example when you cook, you don’t think about every step you have to do in order to cook the entire meal. You just CHUNK it as cooking dinner. That is what you want to do when starting to get health and work out. See it as ONE chunk. That way you don’t overwhelm yourself and feel to overwhelmed.

Guide: How To Read Food Labels Correctly

Flexibility

In life we can become so stuck on doings something a certain way. We get so stuck in our ways that we don’t want to change. We just keep hitting a cement wall acting as if it is a door. And if it doesn’t budge, we just hit harder. Expecting something that is never going to happen.

The main thing about being a flexible person is that we become open to trying new things that can put us on the fast track to getting the results we really want. We see that we aren’t getting great results, then we find someone who is getting the results we want. We model someone who is doing something that we want to do.

We are open to feedback and see it as constructive. We put our pride aside in order to be flexible enough to see all the alternatives. To keep doing so until we find the perfect path.

Self Control

This one is tough for all of us. Becoming more self controlled and composed is one of those things that takes hard work and dedication in order to ingrain it into our personalities.

But self control comes down to striking down the desire to let our desires control us too much. It can be wanting to consume more liquor but stopping at drink number 1 or 2. Wanting to eat extra food but restraining ourselves.

It is like the saying says “The harder we are on ourselves, the easier life becomes.”

Exerting self control comes down to really wanting the best for ourselves long term. Short term mess ups don’t seem like much. But they add up. Both success and failure are usually not some big event. They are small and minor events and choices that lead up to epic disaster or epic victory.

If we give into our desires to overindulge on too much food, we will wake up in a couple of years and be very overweight. With a feeling that we have too much to lose, so why try at all? We are slowly killing ourselves without really knowing it. Until it is too late.

I say that to paint an extreme for you. Because almost everything is reversible. But the fact of the matter is that the less self control we have, the worse our lives become.

If we can learn to exert self control, it becomes a habit in our lives. Where we make good better choices across the board.

I will go back to what Tony Robbins talks about. He speaks on staying consistent with who we feel that we are. If we feel that we are big boned and we always will be, we will act congruent to this belief. But like Tony says, “Divorce your story and marry the truth.” The truth of your unlimited being.

Raise the standard on your life. Tell yourself that this is it. This is not who you are anymore. And then you will start seeing yourself different. You will start making decisions congruent to the new you. How you NOW see yourself.

Decisiveness

A great human quality to have is that of being decisive. Many people in this life are afraid of making the wrong decision. So they choose not to make a decision. Which is STILL making a decision. It all comes down to fear. But at the end of the day, we are not always going to make the correct decisions. But if we don’t then we just course correct until we do.

There is no need to fear making decisions because we can always turn around and go the other way.

A couple tips on how to be more decisive include:

1. Making a list of pros and cons of making what would come out of making your decision.
2. Trust your gut and intuition.
3. See yourself going down each road and see what would happen in each scenario.
4. See if the choice you are going to make is similar to past decisions. If so, how did those decisions turn out? If they were good, then you are on the right track. If not, then you may need to rethink the decision you are going to make.

Resource: How to Trust Your Intuition

Humorous

Humor simply makes our lives better. It can transcend all sorts of pain. It can allow us to stop taking life to serious. And it can also create friendship and trust. People love to laugh. Psychology Today also quotes Martin Seligman, the father of the positive psychology movement, of whom says that having a good sense of humor is one of the 24 characteristics that is directly associated with well-being.

It can ease the tension in new crowds. And create more intimacy between already close friends. And it is in fact one of the first things we ever do as a newborn. It helps us deal and cope with stress and adversity. As well as even get us past deep and dark feelings of grief. And even create better internal health. Bettering circulation, lungs health and muscle health.

It clearly has benefit for both the person giving humor and the receiver. Making it an positive characteristic trait to have as it is truly a win win.

Guide: How To Be Funny

Justice

Having a sense of justice is a great quality to have as a human. Too see everyone as equal. That everyone has the very similar needs in this life. A need for to give and receive love. The need for security. The want and need for significance. A need for variety to not feel that their life is too monotonous. And the need to grow and give back in some way.

We are all dropped into the human existence together. Trying to fight our way to these things. Often times doing so in unforgivable ways. But the fact of the matter is that we all are just doing the same things in order to GET the same things.

We are all connected in this sense. And because of that, everyone should be treated as so. As a small part of the big whole. Seeing people as us in a sense. In a spiritual sense where we are all ONE.

That just because people look or talk different than us doesn’t mean that we aren’t more the same than different. Even biologically speaking. We are almost almost exactly the same.

Seeing this fact alone can help us all treat people with high levels of respect. And be able to connect to people and build great relationships. To make an impact on the world. And feel good about ourselves. Which comes from being in line with our moral compass. Which highly favors acts of treating people with equality.

Confidence

Being confident comes down to doing things that build confidence. Mastering things in life. Dedicating our life to things that make us feel a sense of mastery. The more we do so, the better we feel about ourselves. We project an air of competence that is almost palpable. It comes from staying true to our core values. Walking the straight line. And going about life in a way that is true to what we really want. Not getting too far off track. And sticking things out long enough to see ourselves be great at things.

This one ties in nicely with one of our other positive qualities list, perseverance. It is a big factor in developing high levels of confidence.

It also comes with simply loving the hell out of who you are. Embracing YOU. Not trying to change yourself in order to look better in others eyes. Presenting yourself in the world with an attitude of “Take it or leave it”. You know who you are and aren’t afraid to be you.

I am not saying that you never change. I am a huge supporter in the constant evolution of both our minds and bodies. But I am saying that you love yourself enough to not have to feel the need to be a chameleon all the time. To see and know your value enough to present it to the world.

And because of that the rest of the world naturally sees the value that you possess. Which leads to higher levels of self confidence. Because a huge part of how others see us dictates how we see ourselves. It can be a vicious circle. Or it can be a circle that makes you look, feel and act better in all areas of your life.

Conclusion To Good Character Traits To Have

So there we are my friends. A list of positive character traits that we can all work on developing. Traits that we all truly have already. In which we may need to simply devote a little more time an energy into a few to really reach our full potential in this life.

I hope you enjoyed the article. Share with me your thoughts about it. And if you have anything to add. As well as what trait that you feel like you have best developed. Along with which one you feel that you need to dedicate the most time to developing more from here on out!

Until next time!

Peace,

Chris