Introduction
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. Where there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.— Chinese proverb
Life is all about making choices, and those choices determine our destiny. Each moment of the day, we are forced to act, and each action is a decision with its own set of outcomes. We cannot avoid action in life, as even inaction is a choice.
While life is not a game, we can think of it as being similar to a complex game of chess. Moment by moment, we evaluate the board and our options, and we choose the best course of action given our resources at the time. If we are playing to succeed, as most of us are, we never consciously make a bad move. We make the best possible decision based on all the information and resources we have available at that time. Simple mistakes such as overlooking a better move may become obvious immediately, but most moves or actions are not revealed as bad or good until the game progresses. The more we play the game, the more we understand the principles governing it and the better and more sound our decisions become. The more strategies we learn through experience or study, the better our predictions about the possible outcomes of a given choice. This individual knowledge base characterizes us as players and sets us apart from others.
The same is true of our character in life. When we are young, we may have certain genetic predispositions but are, nonetheless, a clean slate as far as life is concerned. By the time we reach middle age, we have accumulated a knowledge base that has formed our character. Of course, there is no guarantee that this knowledge or consequently our character will be well-formed. It all depends on how well we have grasped the underlying fundamentals.
Character is the backbone of personality, the rigid support structure that makes us strong and sound. Lack of character is a disadvantage, a personality handicap as it were, but this is not a fate we need accept. Character and personality are malleable and can be formed into a work of art with enough training and practice.
Very few individuals are born to be great musicians, athletes, or intellects, yet with proper instruction and training even a mediocre candidate can accomplish great things. The same is true with personality and character. As with a diamond, expert cutting and polishing can make average-quality material valuable and beautiful. The key is to start young. Cutting away the excess stone to reveal the brilliant heart within is easiest early in life, before years of habit have formed into a hard shell.
As we shall see, the underlying principle governing life is our individual relationship within society. Those that excel in character understand that all individuals are connected within society and that it is this relationship which impacts the choices they make and defines their character. By reminding children early in life that we are all connected, we can greatly reduce their learning curve and help them develop good character from the start. This will influence their choices for the better and increase their chance of success in life.
Character can be learned, just like any other skill, and this book is a coaching manual for teaching it as a skill. It contains sound techniques that have been used successfully by thousands of people around the world. You will find that helping children develop character is fun and easy, requiring only minutes a day. The information here can be read quickly. The steps are simple, practical, and uniform across all religious, cultural, and racial backgrounds.
While there can be no guarantee of individual success, even the smallest effort in this regard is beneficial. Depending on the time you commit, these techniques can serve as an introduction to or the foundation for a lifetime of character development.
