The Foundations of Building Character

In my conquest to better who I am every single waking morning, I've often reflected and been consumed by the way I affect those around me. After all, the world doesn't see who we are inside but is only shown the physical form of what can be viewed in the public spotlight. How you carry your will and ambitions will ultimately define you as a person. I did some digging in search of improving upon my own conceptual standards of living. If you Google "Character Traits " and filter by images you will find 100's of positive and negative aspects that define us as human beings. Obviously, that's way too much to cover in an article and I'm not even sure I would agree upon half of what I discovered.

I decided to pull out 25 of the most relevant qualities we all try to instill or at least think about in our everyday lives. There is no particular order in how things are laid out as my emotional thought process kind of just flows onto the page with expressionism in mind. Included are generic definitions of what defines the word and its true meaning followed by my perception of how it may have an impact on one's own life for the better or worse.

Ambition - a strong desire to do or to achieve something with determination and hard work.

To be ambitious for me is to strive to accomplish something out of this world and not easily attainable to the everyday individual. It requires many other qualities to sustain a constant flow of growth and momentum in a forward trajectory while consuming much of the energy required to continue on the path set forth. It comes with much sacrifice and extreme focus as you have to separate yourself from the concurring standards of living. It most likely is established with a goal-oriented strategy including key milestones and a series of chapters in uncovering a new phenomenon or masterful accomplishment. One thing is clear on all levels of engaging an ambition and that is you must be willing to challenge the unquestionable to further dictate a better directive in improving upon the standards or operation. For me, it's easy to digest the reasoning behind why I set forth towards hard things. I decided I only have one life to live and want to make the most out of it whether I succeed or not in the process. Some of the most exciting moments in my life have been uncovering new methodologies of how things can get done and I believe it is this quality of critical thinking that has allowed me to raise my level of complacency. Ambition should never be about material value but instead driven by its purposeful impact. In a world of imbalance of opportunity, it's the sole driver to align the resources and sustainability you seek. So go for it!

Charming - the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration.

I believe I've always had the ability to adhere to a subtle quality of being a friendly person and well-liked. It's only been recent as I've started speaking up about some aspects of society that were bothering me have I've been feeling resentment and dissatisfaction from individuals who didn't like what I was saying. Charm in my mind is defined by the ability to shed positive energy on another one's own self-consciousness and perceived image by creating a relatable viewed expression of quality thought while putting a smile on their face. What I've experienced is that it requires exerted energy to go out of your way to express feelings of validity or self-worth which is why most will give you the cold shoulder and go on their own way. Whether you align with what I am saying or not, I think we can all agree that to be charming to those around you is something you are willing to embrace or not to be bothered with. It's an aura of good faith in lifting someone else up when they may feel down or even offering a compliment. It's a powerful trait to shed light on a darkened situation and I encourage us all in our own ways to try it out so that it can come back to you down the road on another day.

Faithfulness - remaining loyal and steadfast to those in your life.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about being faithful is the quality of being an impactful partner to your spouse or member of the family. In the relationships that have entered my life, I have always tried to give myself to that person at the moment we have been together but am first to admit it takes time and control to continually vow good intentions and valiant deeds. To expand into the analogy of being loyal in a general sense I believe it represents a steady commitment to the defining principles that one believes in as an individual which will ultimately make things less challenging for a recurring mind state. To not veer away from the other realities that may tease your desires in that short moment of time is a choice you must make on your own. The end goal of faith outweighs any other alternative that passes by at any given moment. It instills and confines the solidarity it represents as in with the expression that goes that all good things take time. So apart from the steady flow of consistency in love or a real partnership comes the comfort of knowing you can always count on that aspect down the road. Have faith because without it you will lose sight of what you may be fighting for or yearning to save in the process.

Energetic - showing or involving great activity or vitality.

To exert energy and be outgoing seems like it has to be a temporary trait to affiliate with our own embodiment because as we get old the reality of our physical form takes more and more effort to maintain. I think it's better to focus on expressing excitement and enthusiasm when sharing an interest by aligning yourself with common circumstances you love. In return, your mind will play the leading force in regenerating daily operational tasks and put the foremost means of presenting yourself at ease with the natural selection of how to spend time effortlessly. I will also note that in life we experience different waves of energy that come over us. You see this often through individuals coming out of a mid-life crisis or hard place where they're taking a second whack at the motive and objectives. Good health, rest, and social consciousness will fuel the fire to bring forth yourself in its fullest form. If you don't have the ability to engage in the wholesomeness of bettering your mind and body, find other means that are available to try and balance it out for the good.

Dependable - trustworthy and reliable to others as time goes on.

As within the act of showing good faith, being dependable is a quality trait we should all attune to be more of. The key difference between the two is instead of an affliction to focusing on a common belief it's more about the act of showing up to something as it was stated or simply just knowing you can count on a person at that moment. Dependability takes time to establish its effectiveness because you need to see the plan in action to be sure it's something that will give you recurring access. It is important to note that this word should not be confused with dependency which in regards reflects on the action of needing to rely on someone. This would be considered a negative trait if you were not able to handle your own conflict and problems in allowing someone else to do so. Of course, it takes time to become independent for all ages and faces so don't be discouraged by the lack of free will you want to have at the moment. Just remember that in life dependability outweighs and ultimately beats the flash or new hype. It is the guardian of change in which we know that the same as it was is the same as it is now. It puts our minds at ease knowing we can count on those circumstances.

Charismatic - exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others.

I think this is probably one of my favorite qualities in trying to possess. The idea of having charisma is a combination of showcasing likability while being able to carry yourself an impactful way in the physical form. Maybe it's my Sardinian roots whereas in half of me being an Italian American we talk with our hands and showcase a lot of emotional states. Also, it's the act of expressing empowerment in some form for a passion or belief in something so much that you go out of your way to deliver its message. I think where it hits home is that it represents something more than just a popular view but also an ability to win people over without the need for offering anything more than its true form. I believe charisma has the power to overcome more of its counterparts as its purity into the insight of those individuals outweighs all other forms of engagement.

Empathetic - showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Probably one of the most relevant topics at the end of 2021 was the idea of understanding other people in this world. I believe between my own opinions and ideologies that were expressed a few months ago, it gave all the nations an understanding as a whole that we are all playing the cards that were dealt to us. I've always wondered why some can sit back and have it easy while others grind every day just to make it by. I believe it stems back to generations before religion and modern sciences where we relied on brute force and enabled the weak to do our fair biddings until the entire system became unbalanced. I am definitely not dismissing the benefits of creating a competitive landscape as when everything is equally distributed no one wants to rise above the playing field that is offered. Instead of disregarding the incentives set in place to make people strive to be greater, it should be apparent that we recognize not everyone has an option or for a lack of a better word the luxury. To understand someone else and live a day in their shoes you have to actually want to put yourself into that situation to experience it first hand. We all face hardship and discomfort in many shapes and forms and I think it is clear all problems we have been trying to overcome every day as a whole. As we accept the inevitabilities that life is not fair it becomes apparent how much more important it is to understand all our peers so that we can enrich their lives in the fullest and most extravagant forms.

Bravery - willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.

In the wild, we look at the animal kingdom and acknowledge certain species as a representation of bravery. The king of the jungle more commonly known to most as the lion takes this crown for its signs of fearlessness and independent acts of crushing its foes. To be brave is to walk alone knowing that there are eyes and means of affliction all around you waiting to strike. It is to enter into the field of battle with no doubt or shame in your mind that the worst will show itself and take aim to knock you down. There is no glory or gain from being brave other than knowing it is your duty in facing shrewd marks of hatred for standing strong. It is the outcome of these actions that refine the current circumstances into what was and could be but is a mandatory step in adhering to change you want to see happen. In return, it will make you stronger in the long run whether the outcome was what you expected or something different altogether. The hardest part about this trait is you're pinning yourself against a common perspective where judgment upon the grief and its counterpart are bound to set way. Where words are used as weapons to instill fear, concern, and hate for different perceptions, it is these same conflicts that seed the drive for you to stand up and speak loudly about what you believe in and want to fight for in life. Be brave and the weak will find it doesn't affect you at all but instead empowers you to be bold.

Confidence - the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

As with the act of bravery sheds the dwelling of believing in oneself that the mission or statement being expressed is something you can live by with meaning. It is the willing desire to go against the grain in standing up for an idea and the individualism that makes you unique. This is something we all try to showcase in this day and age on our own. The difference between confidence and bravery is one can be seen as a physical activity while the other is a mental game while standing alone. It's confronting yourself knowing that you have the right answer to a situation while determining the ideology and thought processes are factually proven. Sometimes even knowing any false truce could quite possibly be the epitome of your destruction. The best way to gain more confidence is to rigorously practice the things you want to be better at by refining and elevating the quality of what it is they represent. You can always try turning to your peers and the people who inspire you to be better at the things you love. It is their indirect teaching that can highlight core attributes and keen intellect into how we carry ourselves with full force. However, it's important that you stay aware of what an overabundance of confidence can create. As I expressed at the beginning of this article about internal feelings versus public perception any too much of one thing can have a negative effect as I will clarify in the next section below.

Arrogance - believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people.

The dark side in believing in one's self can ultimately inflict a negative connotation on how others perceive you. Part of the challenge of conversations in thought leadership is that you are at risk of acting like a know it all or sounding like you are belittling others who may not be understanding of the actions. The most common reason that leads to a result of being arrogant is when someone inherits or is thrown into a position of power and material gain resulting in a boost of their ego. We hear this a lot when referred to as being entitled while walking around proud with their head held high without any real sense of accomplishment. It can also be the defining factor of being born into a family or lineage that brings this aspect to your life resulting in a feeling that yours has more meaning than the next. It's crucial that no matter what position you are in or arise to, you don't let it get to your head. If you're doing better than most others financially or in a lifestyle routine it's already going to put a target on you. This is why you see most people commenting on social media of the extremely wealthy asking for money resulting in that leadership shutting everyone out. The negative impact is even those with the purest intentions of guidance and appreciation of acknowledging accomplishments will be ignored. Every role and an individuals place has meaning and it's important no matter where you stand that you celebrate their part in the overall system.

Humility - a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

To balance out this act of being labeled as unfavorable or egotistical, one of the greatest traits we can consume as human beings is understanding that with any success comes the aspect of things we still do not know. Yes, it is true that some people are smarter, quicker, and have the ability to articulate statements better than others but it doesn't mean they have the right or privilege of putting themselves on a pedestal. The irony in all of this is that true leaders that show acts of kindness and suffer defeat are the ones that get buildings named after them and statues engraved on the wall. This is because the time they took and arranged themselves for the better came from learning about and following others before them. We improve upon ourselves by observing our shortcomings so that we can create a more well-balanced outlook on the overall comprehension of our measurable successes. I understood what humility meant when I felt the feeling of rejection within my work and opportunities that didn't manifest in my favor. I would analyze the situation and determine that I had to improve upon the things I could change for the better. Part of this past experience is one of the reasons I started writing articles such as this. I'll end this paragraph with the concept of we are always learning and no matter where you are on the totem pole there is always room to move up. When you think like this, there is always someone farther along in some aspect and even those at the top can learn something from you so stay humble friends.

Selfishness - focusing on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.

I think the trait of being selfish is self-explanatory and doesn't have to be explained to anyone. It is a common narrative to make it in this world to put yourself first before others to succeed. After all, it would seem that no one is really looking out for you so why should you care about people's well-being anyway, right? Wrong. Selfishness is a derivative of short-term goals or narrow-minded thinking. It is the direct satisfaction of the here and now of if I do this then I get that and life's too short to think otherwise so ultimately wins in its reasoning. The problem of selfishness is it restricts the bond between a collective to grow and create an ever-evolving expansiveness of opportunity for after they're gone. It restricts the bridge to new paths through mutually beneficial situations in a win/win scenario. The key advantage to selflessness is that you create a solid foundation of growth around you for other people to succeed which in return comes back to you in the long run. By no means am I naive to think that every person that you do favor for will pay it back but that is the fundamental value of giving to others without anything in return. Life is like a game of Dominoes... you hold the door open for someone, in theory, they should then hold it open for the person behind them. Eventually, the small act of kindness affects a bigger variant and we start seeing change amongst the masses. Just recognized that a lot of people are too caught up in their own problems nowadays to really give a hoot about someone else. It is because of this you should practice the acts of selflessness for the deed it represents with no recognition or satisfaction of anyone ever knowing.

Honesty - a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way for the good of those around you.

If you want to better yourself right away one of the easiest things to change is saying it how it is. To be blunt is something that can rub people the wrong way if it highlights or calls out insecurity and doesn't rectify a positive outlook on the situation so be careful. When it comes to the truth it can hurt but what will follow is a condition of acceptance and then make the person become stronger in many forms. It also builds a foundation of trust in knowing that the words and actions are justifiable while creating a mutual understanding of ease. Honesty is not always easy and a lot of times will make a situation more challenging which is why it tends to be overlooked with lies and false pretenses. However, when talking about ideas and creating new things sometimes the public will misinterpret an expressed concept with deception which I don't necessarily agree with. If we are to push the bounds of a common occurrence it requires an expansive truce of what can be and the methodologies on how we can get there. So as a result do not lie about your accomplishments and be true to yourself and those you care about. Anything else will just veer you away from the direction you want to go and will not help you in the end if you want to sustain a healthy and continuous relationship.

Affection - a gentle feeling of fondness or liking by showing emotional support.

In a time where we have been torn apart from the state of the array in this world, we have never needed more care and support from the challenges that paved way this new form of living. As we turn to the internet as a means of communicating, it's hard to think that a computer and social streams could ever replace the warm touch of a loved one or moral support from your friends... and it won't. I can't help but feel as a society we have gone cold in expressing our feelings of gratitude towards one another. It's becoming more of a dog-eat-dog world that brings sorrow to my heart. I am only one person and cannot bring happiness and joy to everyone. I'm not even sure many of you would receive or reciprocate the love I have to give. Regardless of whether it comes from a partner or stranger affection can warm our hearts and fill the void of emptiness if feeling alone. It can drive a meaningless engagement into a newfound love affair where you embrace the subtle affliction of connecting with that person in the moment from their grace and fond memories that are created. It doesn't have to refer to a sensual or loving interaction. Affection can shed comfort to a battle-hardened soldier who needs to know there is more out in the world than violence and death as a means to keep going. So find your sensitive side and make the most of what it can offer to a person for they count on you to brighten up their day.

Compassion - sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

For me, this is the next level of caring when you have already shown a person love but also are concerned about their well-being. I often break down the differences between passion and compassion... I believe one refers more to love as the other is about caring with a state of affirmative action to fix a discomfort they may be facing. Compassion is not an easy task to present as it takes energy and time emoting to the individual or subject you sought after. It requires a recurring effort for its redundant exposure of support in hopefully changing the situation into a position of positivity and happiness. I would say compassion is a counterpart in understanding the person or being empathetic about the situation that may be causing them misfortune. No matter the situation or whom it is being directed towards we could all practice a little more of this trait in our everyday lives whether it be in person or over the internet. I think when we hide behind computer screens and devices the nature of being human gets lost by generic statements and stereotypes. So focusing an effort there would be a practical place to start as we continue to breakthrough in the challenges of our state of living. As with most of the influential characteristics I have written about, I never offer these kinds of things with any immediate gains or hopes for a return. Do it because you will know it will make a person's day or maybe even life better. You will feel good about it too.

Emotional - state of mind deriving from circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

I wasn't sure if this was actually considered a character trait or just a state of mind but I did some digging and found that it's a general collection of mindsets that can be measured in a stable or rapidly changing array so I kept it on the list. Emotion is the driving force between everything that sets us apart from machines. We can try to replicate it in AI and have it play a part in studying its tendencies but it knows no bounds. It is controlled by the state in which we are consuming and embracing the world around us and can deeply affect those who aim to manipulate its senses. The important aspects of showing emotions have nothing to do with analysis or psychiatric reports determining your well-being so get that out of your head. The real benefactors in having and showing emotions are the beauty in nature you can portray through art, culture, and the substance of our everyday living. Actors are masters of this craft as they can flip a switch and show a wave of emotions in which we tune in and adhere to their scripted state of mind. In the real world, emotions are a lot less controllable because they can be easily affected by those we truly admire and care about. I am the first to admit that my emotions have been a driving force in my creation of digital media and the things I love to do for work. When something seems impossible and you just want to give it your all, it's the emotions, not the results that keep pushing you forward. People will tell you that emotions create drama... specifically in a work environment as executives just want to keep the wheels turning and profit margins from slipping through the cracks. It's absolutely crucial that you keep them in check when need be as not everyone will understand your state of mind and reasoning behind why you feel a specific way. Never let that stop you from being whom you want to be and the feelings you possess. You are in the right for having a colorful mind with ups and downs. It's why you were created in the first place.??

Imaginative - having or showing creativity or inventiveness in everyday life.

To imagine is to dream out loud and in a coherent state of mind where you want to share something with the world around you. It takes every single question and undeniable interest to push the bounds of what we see happening and in return expressed in our own shapes and forms. Your imagination is something that is uniquely connected and controllable by you because no individual can ever take it away. Pretty powerful stuff indeed! To embrace this wonderful trait and use it to your advantage the best ways to go about it is to take the thing you know best and work with a forward momentum in many directions. In my time of roaming this earth, I have received many blessings and advice from all ages and the well-traveled in how to carry my hopes and ambitions. A few great tips I'd say to think about is to keep your head down while you go but more relevant to the discussion is you need to plant a lot of seeds. Your imagination and how our brain stems out into many directions is much like that. You need to explore and contrast into many different areas if you want to see the images and concepts portrayed from your mind lay shape onto a sheet of paper or big screen. It also has many twists and turns in the process to where you will have to assess the situation to see if it's feasible with the reality we live in. Not everyone will get your imaginative state and even further there will be judgment upon scrutiny of what you are doing. That is life. Don't take it to heart as everyone wants to feel relevant and understood for their own creations and doings. What's important is you keep practicing the things that you love and everything will take shape as it all comes together. Walt Disney use to say dreaming is doing. So what are you waiting for... opportunity is yours for the taking!

Adventurous - willing to take risks or to try out new methods, ideas, or experiences.

When I think of being adventurous it is definitely geared more towards travel and exploring the world while embracing new cultures and the hidden beauty behind every place in the world. The aspect that makes a nation and its people so amazing is the unique landmarks that create memorable moments that are hard to erase. Setting forth into the unknown whether it's a step into the jungle or in a metaphorical sense of doing something completely new, know there are going to be a lot of unknowns. This is something that can be completely terrifying at first as we like to control our surroundings. The power in embracing an adventurous state of mind is an openness to expand upon your perspective in where you can comprehend and interpret different things based on your overall experiences of the world as a whole. When you start traveling to a few faraway places you see things that are new and seem weird at first. After going to a lot of different places the stuff that was strange then became a big part of the overall picture. The internet and modern technologies in the last few decades have opened doors to the deepest parts of the ocean and farthest points beyond our galaxy. We have uncovered parts of the Amazon never been seen and are studying the polar caps to better understand climate change and its effects on civilization. What was once scary to use as humans has now become an everyday topic of discussion and we owe it all to the tools and resources of those that explored and took risks before us. Now it's your turn to uncover these roots and take aim at venturing out of your comfort zone to learn something new. Some day a generation who is not here yet will turn to you for answers in their own concern for the questionable comforts of personal growth.

Generosity - the quality of being kind, understanding, and not selfish.

So why does anybody share the goods, go out of their way to show love, and be open-armed with kindness and compassion to bring joy to others and those they don't even know? I'd say it comes down to one simple word. Hope. To give blindly to those in need without a clue to their reasoning or circumstances shows the quality of that person being in a place of complacency and happy with the life they're living. Because of this, they want to extend the olive branch to those that may not be experiencing the same comfort as it saddens them to see people hurting and going through pain. It's important to remember that being generous has nothing to do with money or material possessions. We only focus on those because that's whom we expect to share first. For someone who has lived conformable but is not well off in any means, I never let my current situation change my state of thinking in terms of giving outwards and projecting a state of mind where I can bring the same joy to that individual. It can be passing down a toy to the neighbor's kid or donating clothes to the needy but that's just the start and not really being generous but more of the right thing to do in humanitarianism. The next level of generosity is knowing you may take a hit for the betterment of someone else's own circumstances but having the willingness to do so anyway as an act of good faith and the deed. It's working twice as hard to comply with the imbalance of society in hopes that you can bring a better situation to the scenarios that you'd like to see change for the better. Whether you believe in one life or a multitude of transitional states in rebirth, it's the practice of giving that will make all worth it in the end.

Sincerity - the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.

Being true to your statements is easy to write on paper but admittingly harder to follow up with action when we can't control everything that lands on our plate. The affirmative actions to follow through with our own context is a profound series of statements that can be conformed into a meaningful flow of information. What makes one sincere is the passion and dedication to drive what is set forth into a series of perseverance while overcoming challenges to make it happen. There is no faking or falsely portraying the nature of following up with the words that express your motive as it's all seen externally by your peers and the people receiving the motivational drive. Like with many sign-offs the aspects of being sincere or showing your regards get lost in the true meaning and are often used as a coverup to minimalize the true incentives. I think this is why we need to step back from overusing any sense of authenticity when making connections and establishing new relationships so that these words and their meanings can find new forms and revert back to the original effectiveness they once imposed. The most powerful circumstance in which we can show this character trait is to follow up with the actions of which are laid out. It's only as good as the experiences that come next so use it willingly while cautiously approaching the places you would like it to embody its true meaning.

Jealousy - feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a lack of possessions or safety.?

Ah, the big J... We all have felt jealous at one point in time. Some may have this feeling more than others but it's the same for everyone. Wanting or needing what someone else possesses. I would say completely open and honestly, the only real jealousy I've had to put in check is being upset about happy couples and the joy of their state in which I wanted so badly for myself. What helped me overcome this was realizing that I had control to fix the situation if I was willing to balance out my work with personal life to where it could take form. This epiphany solved my disconcert for what I had sought and I am now starting to seek true connections while taking the time for the right women to show up. The more common form of jealousy is allowing material possessions to take control of our own insecurities in which we are mad at counterparts for obtaining those objects by resenting them on how they were acquired in the first place. Luckily I have never had a problem with this nor watching my peers succeed. For those of you who see me on social media, you can tell I've always been very supportive of people's accomplishments and even praised potential competitors in my field. At the end of the day, I hope everyone succeeds and finds peace with their aspirations and goals. So if I can leave this topic without coming off too preachy or like I have all the answers I'd say instead of hating on the situation and person while questioning the scenarios, try to align yourself on the path that will keep you rolling in the direction that will give you the same.

Stubbornness - dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something.

To be stubborn and hate to change for others is something I think can be resolved with ease if you're willing to step back and analyze the entire situation without yourself in the middle of it. Stubbornness is the inability to understand where individuals stand as their views are projected outward while assuming they're the center of all the answers. It can be a place of comfort or maybe just needing control of the situation but usually, it's all the same mentality which is I am right and you are wrong. This trait as many others can overlap into the positives of confidence and your intuition but also ignorance and its bliss. One thing is for sure and that is it doesn't really get you anywhere literally and figuratively so make sure if you are keen on keeping your stance in a specific scenario it is where you want to be. Lastly, I will say as a growing mind that has a lot to learn I am more adaptable to change as I've been constantly seeing things stay fluid and in motion. As we get older and all my elders correct me if I am wrong, we get set in a way we have practiced and done for so long that it becomes easier and easier to fall into this mindset. I'm not to pass judgment or lay blame on anyone who chooses to stick to their guns. More power to you so know that I'm all for your strong mind. Just make sure that if that's the angle you want to take that you are ready for the changes to wrap around you as I've learned the world is in a constant change and waits for no man in its new upcoming arrangements.

Lust - intense desire for something while already having a significant amount of the object.

To have lost love and to live in the moment of what it means to feel close to someone. To me, lust as it stands is the attempt for a loving circumstance without the commitment or dedication to putting energy into having that next level of companionship. As humans, it is a natural state to be attracted to another and wants to fulfill the desires of feeling close and needing them near. As someone who has kept myself occupied with my work, I can't help but feel I've relied solely on the idea of feeling close to a person in hopes that engaging in those moments could turn into something more meaningful. Of course, I quickly learned that in the opportunity the moments were never meant to last, and eventually I started embracing whatever could come my way. To step out of the intimate nature behind its meaning for a second the general sense of a lustful desire comes into filling a void of emptiness that eats us up inside. It is knowing that we are in it for a quick fix but never able to commit to the resulting effect and its consequences where every flame that burns bright is to quickly die in the night's shade. The only real value of lust is it teaches you the importance of longevity. That in this life we can take things and roll with them while dismissing the aspect we don't like but in turn, the true meaningful connections and opportunities that stick, stand, and over time create a bond that no temporary fix can compete with or abide by within its counterparts.

Love -? a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person or thing in life.

As we get to the end of my list of qualified traits we wrap it up with one of the biggest and most important aspects of life that we all desire and that is to be loved. Love is the unconditional trait of knowing no matter what state of mind or where you are in that time a person or thing will be there. It cannot be represented in any shape or form because there are no set restrictions on what it is that makes us feel that way. What is for sure is that its power is greater than any desire or affirmation that we work towards or chase after. It finds us when it wants to... it runs and hides when we are not ready. To have been in love a few times and lost those feelings is something that has stuck with me forever. This is probably one of the biggest influences to make me so career-driven and focused on my goals so they can come back to me again. If you already have love, celebrate its meaning every day with the little things because to you and your counterparts magic that keeps it alive keeps it growing. If you're still waiting just trust that there is a reason for its delay in finding you. What I have learned in the past years is that life gives back what you put into it so if you're not willing to focus on the things you truly desire you have to make a change then and there for the better. When it finally arrives all your worries and challenges that arise will be diminished. Your world will wrap around that one feeling and in turn, it will help balance out the other aspects you'd like to see happen.

Greed - intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

The intrinsic value of wanting more when more is never enough... greed is the last on the list for a reason. It is the sole proprietor of control and imbalance. The master of deceit and conqueror of desire. I am not one to lay blame on setting goals and achieving them as a bad thing. As I compose this at the very moment I long for many things that I work towards and dream about as I sleep at night. I think where we lose sight of reality when thinking about greed is the lack of understanding of the effect it has caused on the world. I already know that people are not going to like what I am saying. Attacking anyone's integrity and the principles they abide by is asking for trouble. I've made a firm decision in my own mind that if I don't speak of this now it will ever be lost in another frame of time where we have no recollections of life's meaning, our true existence, and how we got here in the first place. I have no real answer or reasoning behind why greed is not healthy other than seeing its effect on ancient cultures, entities, and individuals over time. I can tell you honestly that I too seek the toys and trinkets that fuel my deepest desires to work harder but hope that when that day comes that I'll have a well-balanced perception of wealth and the lack of impact it can have on my well being as a person. I leave you with this and that is work for something amazing and do it greatly and with ferocity. Reward yourself with immaculate things and celebrate the hardship you overcame when you got there. After all that never lose sight of where you started and the meaning behind the mission that was set underway to bring you those possessions, external beauties, and utmost desires in this thing we call life.

After all the book definitions and meanings behind these character traits, all that really matters is that we find a balance between everything good and evil. No one is perfect and if they say they are it's only to cover up the qualities they're hiding. Encompass what it means to carry yourself with dignity, pride, and respect, and everything else will fall into place.