“You’re such a character,” “you got character, kid,” “that guy! What a character!”. The more you look at the word character the more foreign it becomes. A character is a fictional person or a role in a book, play, film, or physical portrayal of something. We use a maximum of 140 characters in our ‘tweets’ on Twitter- referring to the individual letters, numbers and punctuations we use. Yet character is also something we possess. For example, we have character traits which are pieces of our character. We also have a character. We can be a character. What does character mean and why is it so important?
According to the dictionary, the word character has a few meanings. Among the definitions about a persona in a film and being a symbol or letter is a definition about quality. Character is “the mental and more qualities distinctive to an individual.” Heraclitus once said that “A man’s character is his fate.” In his infamous speech I Have A Dream, Martin Luther King Jr. said “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Forbes reports that for millennials who are striving to be successful in their lives, their character will be a critical determining factor.
The article cites that modern psychologists regard character as “a family of traits”, specifically 24 of them, which make up six other categories:
- Wisdom and knowledge
- Courage
- Humanity
- Justice
- Temperance
- Transcendence
Recovery is a process of evaluating, redefining, and building character. Many of the life experiences we have build our character in some way. The presence of addiction to drugs and alcohol can thwart and interfere with this development. Wisdom is part of the well known recovery “prayer”. It takes courage to admit you need help overcoming an addiction. Qualities of transcendence like gratitude are scientifically proven to change the way the brain operates. Humanity is something we find for one another when we realize we are not the only ones who struggle.
Character is what it takes to succeed in recovery but it is also what recovery can give you when you work, and allow yourself to be worked by, a solid program.
LEAD Recovery Center honors integrity, respect, and character. That is why we focus our treatment programs around leadership, personal development, and mentorship including emphasis on adventure and nature therapy. For information on our addiction treatment programs, call us today at 800-380-0012.
