If you ask one-hundred people what they want from life and if they answer with sincerity and clarity, the great majority would say, “I want to be a winner.” Most people want to win at something, be seen as a winner, or be successful at some enterprise.
I realize that it is not my role to transform either the world or man: I have neither sufficient virtue nor insight for that. But it may be to serve in my place, those few values without which even a transformed world would not be worth living in, and man, even if “new,” would not deserve to be respected. ~ Albert Camus ~
The most important strategies for success revolve around the development of character. Character is built by habits. And habits are formed by the values a person chooses to adopt and live. The New Testament says, “By their fruits, you shall know them.” The statement reinforces the principle that by adopting and cultivating the values and attributes possessed by the highest achieving men and women in a society, you eventually get the same results they do.
Benjamin Franklin thought this principle so important that he compiled 13 virtues and spent 30 days on each one attempting to master it. When he finished, he did it over again. Some of them sound a little old-fashioned now but his dedication to his list apparently paid off as he lived to the age of 84 when life expectancy in the U.S. was less than half that. And without his wisdom and influence, it is doubtful the French would have come to our aid during the Revolutionary War or our fledgling nation would have been put on such a firm foundation. He was the only Founding Father who is a signatory of all four major documents of the founding of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and the United States Constitution.
Integrity and honesty. Trust is the basis of all human relations and integrity is the basis of trust. People want to be able to predict how you will respond and act. There must be a clear, straight line between words and deeds. The more predictable you are in doing the right thing at the right time at the right place every time, the more influence you have and the more others are drawn to you. And nearly everyone has that little, internal voice telling them the right thing to do. The hard part, of course, is following the advice of that little voice.
Purposefulness. There is nothing sadder than to watch a person who has no purpose in life. They either burn themselves out trying a little of everything or wander in an aimless depression. Having purpose gives you direction, energy, enthusiasm and a reason to get up in the morning. Intensity of purpose over a sustained period leads to success.
Courage. Winston Churchill said, “Courage is the foremost of the virtues, for upon it all others depend.” Courage combats fear, a natural outgrowth of human existence. In other words, it takes no energy or thought to produce fear and doubt, it sneaks up on you in the night. On the other hand, it requires hard work to develop and cultivate courage. Sometimes, courage is simply getting up everyday and dutifully doing the same job day in, day out. Sometimes it is analyzing the behavior of a group, deciding the behavior is wrong and, at the risk of being ostracized, going a better direction. Courage is a habit, not an event.
Faith. Albert Eninstein said, “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details.”
Even though it is not tangible, we know the human spirit exists. America was founded on the Judeo-Christian ideas and the founders believed in God. All great men and women have faith that there is a higher power that will guide them in difficult times. There is such a thing as grace and we can feel its power and patience in people who use it to build and live a set of worthy values.
The most valued attributes of mankind do not come naturally to the human animal; character borrows from the devine. ~ A.S.A. Jones ~
Prudence. Prudence is eating an apple a day rather than chocolate bar a day, walking a mile rather than watching a mindless reality show, or visiting a bookstore or a church rather than a bar.
It is prudent to look before you leap; evaluating a situation, ascertaining if it is a problem or a predicament, solving the former and learning to deal with the latter (e.g., a broken leg versus a missing leg). Prudence is asking “how many bridges do I really want to burn?” What goes around comes around.
Communicator: Being a good communicator is usually considered a skill rather than a value, but our communication transmits our values, both verbally and non-verbally. A few communication values may be helpful.
First, discipline yourself to be a good listener, which is difficult. Most people listen with the intent to respond rather than understand. Also, in an emotionally charged exchange, handle (de-escalate) the emotions first then deal with the issue. Drill down to the problem past the symptoms by asking non-judgemental questions. Second, practice good communication. Take some classes or join Toastmasters. The most successful people know how to arrange their ideas into an effective presentation and how to connect with an audience when they speak. Repetition develops skill and confidence. Never pass up a chance to speak in front of others. Third, be truthful in your communication. Nothing damages character more than dishonesty or little white lies. Fourth, don’t be mean. My father taught me that if you can’t say something good about someone, just don’t say anything at all. It’s a good piece of advice. Lastly, be tactful. The best definition I have found: Tact is knowing how far to go in going too far.
Self discipline. Elbert Hubbard defined self discipline as “the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” Good intentions are not enough. Hope is not a strategy. In his book, A Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck said, “A little discipline will solve some problems. A lot of discipline will solve a lot of problems. With total discipline we can solve all problems.” The more you discipline yourself to persist when you feel like quitting, the stronger you become in character and the more success is drawn to you.
When successful people are studied and questioned, the recurring statement is, “I simply work harder than other people.” Eighty-five percent of the millionaires in American attribute their success to hard work.
A natural outgrowth of discipline is leadership, which is made up of two parts: competence and authenticity. Discipline is required to develop the skills to do the job. And it takes discipline to develop authenticity–someone that others see as authentic and trustworthy enough to follow. Remember, the follower defines the success or failure of the leader. It cannot be forced. No one will follow an incompetent fake very long. They will either run him off, quit and get another job, or work around him to get the job done.
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~ E.B. White ~
Providing mediocre service or products is a sure road to disaster in a free market. U.S. consumers expect excellent and timely service, high quality products at competitive prices and a quick, easy return process. Competition forces innovation, better use of technology and ever-improving connections with the customer. Think amazon.com. Where there is no competition–for instance, the public sector–we have learned to tolerate a lack of civility, accountability, and timeliness. Think of the worker at the state license bureau. It’s called bureaucracy…
My brothers and I grew up on a lowland farm that would have been untillable except for a series of drainage ditches that carried flood water to the Black and St. Francis Rivers and eventually the Mississippi. One of these large ditches lay one-hundred yards in front of our house and it, the bridge that spanned it, and our small farm served as a rather large playground for me and my brothers.
The American Revolution drew on old ideas. The United States is the product of Western civilization, shaped by Judeo-Christian culture and the political liberties inherited from Great Britain.
Yet the founding of the United States was also revolutionary. Not in the sense of replacing one set of rulers with another, or overthrowing the institutions of society, but in placing political authority in the hands of the people.
As the English writer G. K. Chesterton famously observed, “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.” That creed is set forth most clearly in the Declaration of Independence, by which the American colonies announced their separation from Great Britain. The Declaration is a timeless statement of inherent rights, the proper purposes of government, and the limits on political authority.
The American Founders appealed to self-evident truths, stemming from “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” to justify their liberty. This is a universal and permanent standard. These truths are not unique to America but apply to all men and women everywhere. They are as true today as they were in 1776.
Working from the principle of equality, the American Founders asserted that men could govern themselves according to common beliefs and the rule of law. Throughout history, political power was—and still is—often held by the strongest. But if all are equal and have the same rights, then no one is fit by nature to rule or to be ruled.
As Thomas Jefferson put it, “The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.” The only source of the legitimate powers of government is the consent of the governed. This is the cornerstone principle of American government, society, and independence.
America’s principles establish religious liberty as a fundamental right. It is in our nature to pursue our convictions of faith. Government must not establish an official religion, just as it must guarantee the free exercise of religion. Indeed, popular government requires a flourishing of religious faith. If a free people are to govern themselves politically, they must first govern themselves morally.
Being an American is more than a matter of where you and your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal. ~ Harry Truman
These principles also mean that everyone has the right to the fruits of their own labor. This fundamental right to acquire, possess, and sell property is the backbone of opportunity and the most practical means to pursue human happiness. This right, along with the free enterprise system that stems from it, is the source of prosperity and the foundation of economic liberty.
Because people have rights, government has only the powers that the sovereign people have delegated to it. These powers are specified by a fundamental law called a constitution. Under the rule of law, all are protected by generally agreed-upon laws that apply, equally, to everyone.
The United States Constitution defines the institutions of American government: three distinct branches of government that make the law, enforce the law, and judge the law in particular cases. This framework gives the American government the powers it needs to secure our fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The ultimate purpose of securing these rights and of limiting government is to protect human freedom. That freedom allows the institutions of civil society—family, school, church, and private associations—to thrive, forming the habits and virtues required for liberty.
The same principles that define America also shape its understanding of the world. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that the thirteen colonies were a separate and sovereign nation, like any other nation. But America is not simply another nation.
The United States is a nation founded on universal principles. It appeals to a higher standard that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. All nations are answerable to this principle, and it is this principle that makes the United States a truly legitimate nation.
Liberty does not belong only to the United States. The Declaration of Independence holds that all men everywhere are endowed with a right to liberty. That liberty is a permanent aspect of human nature everywhere is central to understanding America’s first principles.
Nevertheless, the primary responsibility of the United States is to defend the freedom and well-being of the American people. To do this, the United States must apply America’s universal principles to the challenges this nation faces in the world.
Our founding documents proclaim to the world that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few. It is the universal right of all God’s children. ~Ronald Reagan~
This is not easy. America has not always been successful. But because of the principles to which it is dedicated, the United States always strives to uphold its highest ideals. More than any other nation, it has a special responsibility to defend the cause of liberty at home and abroad.
As George Washington put it in his First Inaugural Address: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” America’s role in the world is to preserve and to spread, by example and by action, the “sacred fire of liberty.”
America is an exceptional nation, but not becauseof what it has achieved or accomplished. America is exceptional because, unlike any other nation, it is dedicated to the principles of human liberty, grounded on the truths that all men are created equal and endowed with equal rights. These permanent truths are “applicable to all men and all times,” as Abraham Lincoln once said.
America’s principles have created a prosperous and just nation unlike any other nation in history. They explain why Americans strongly defend their country, look fondly to their nation’s origins, vigilantly assert their political rights and civic responsibilities, and remain convinced of the special meaning of their country and its role of the world. It is because of its principles, not despite them, that America has achieved greatness.
To this day, so many years after the American Revolution, these principles—proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and promulgated by the United States Constitution—still define America as a nation and a people. Which is why friends of freedom the world over look to the United States not only as an ally against tyrants and despots but also as a powerful beacon to all those who strive to be free.
Matthew Spalding, Ph.D., Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Published October 1, 2010 by The Heritage Foundation.