What does character mean to you? To me, it means following through on your obligation(s) after that initial motivation is gone. It’s an elusive trait – so easy to say it’s important to you and yet so difficult to put into practice. In my first blog post, I used an Army saying: “Adapt and Overcome.” This is a large part of character. It’s the ability to face an ever-changing situation, stand your ground (dig in sometimes), overcome adversity and regain momentum.
To me, character is personified in someone like retired General Stan McChrystal. Here is a tough soldier who left the Army under controversy and great public scrutiny. He easily could have fallen by the wayside and lived the rest of his life collecting his pension and sitting on a corporate board. Instead, he stepped back into service because he continues to feel an obligation to those with whom he served. Somehow, he dug deep and rebuilt the motivation to serve those who had served him. He’s doing many good things, but I particularly admire the difference he is making in the lives of veterans through his work on the Military and Veterans Affairs Council of JP Morgan Chase. He joined forces with them in 2011 and in just two years has played a big part in helping the company reach its goal of hiring 100,000 veterans in five years (they’re currently at 67,000 and counting).
I encourage you to see what you can do in your community to stay motivated to your cause.
