Character Strength the Foundation of Wellbeing
We are all born with certain traits, and then there are some that we develop over time. These are known as Character Strengths and lay the foundation of wellbeing and happiness.
With increasing awareness about emotional health, the importance of developing emotional intelligence is being widely recognized. It is repeatedly established that emotional intelligence, which is primarily based on a person’s character, sets the path for satisfaction and emotional well-being. Martin Luther King Jr., rightly said, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.”
However, the definition of character and character strengths is not clearly understood and maybe slightly ambiguous. In simple terms, character strengths include the traits that impact the overall happiness of a person. It includes the personality traits that are inherently found in a person and can be developed to lead to a more fulfilling existence.
Character strengths are primarily categorized as following:
Wisdom and Knowledge: This includes, creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, and a love of learning.
Courage: This implies, bravery, truthfulness, resilience, and a zest for life.
Humanity: This includes the ability to love others and to accept love. It also includes traits such as kindness and empathy.
Justice: This implies the ability to work fairly as a team member and the ability to act as a leader.
Temperance: This includes the ability to forgive, which implies that a person is modest and can self-regulate.
Transcendence: This implies that a person has the ability to appreciate beauty and excellence, and is grateful for what he or she has, and has a sense of humor.
There are a number of reasons why the development of character strength is important. From personal growth to be able to build relationships and indulge in lifelong learning, character strength provides the foundation. As parents, it is important to recognize our own child’s character strengths and to then work towards developing the others. To begin, as a parent, one needs to recognize one’s own character strengths. This is based on introspection and an unbiased understanding of oneself. The next step involves taking a nonjudgemental stand and observing your child. For this, as a parent, we need to step back and leave our personal biases and expectations from the child aside. Finally, it is important to take into consideration inputs from other people who are involved in the child’s life. This involves speaking with educators, hobby instructors, friends and family, and anyone else who may be regularly participating in the child’s life.
It is fairly evident that character strengths form the fundamental foundation for emotional well-being and lifelong happiness. If you agree with this and would like to know more, do sign up for the Project Mindful souls demo session.
Author: Latika Sakhuja
