I Believe in Character by Brinson Chapp

There have been many times in my life where I had to choose between what was right, and what was easy. These moments happen to everyone. Some people choose to take the easy way out and others decide to do what's right. Sometimes, no one is even around when you make this choice. Our own responses to these times are what define our character. Character is not about what you show on the outside, it's about the decisions you make when only you have to agree with them. I believe in character.

Character to me is one of the most important parts of a person's personality. It can make you stand out in a crowd, whether it's for a good thing or a bad thing. It's always with you and it's always a part of you because that is what defines our personality. Later in life, when you are looking for a job, you may have the perfect résumé but if they find out you have poor character, you are going to be passed by. Character can either send you to the top, or send you spiraling down to the bottom.

Character transcends race, religion, education, position, age, gender, and personality. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have accomplished in life because without character, you haven't gone anywhere. People sometimes think that character is something we have or we don't have. They say, "That man has character," when what they really mean is he has good character. The truth is, everyone has character, but we just distinguish those who have good character. Think back about some of the most important people throughout history. People like Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.; what did they all have in common? These people all spoke about good character. Benjamin Franklin made a list of 13 traits of good character. He then spent one week working on a certain trait to improve his character. Over one year, he was able to focus on each trait four different times. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Reputation is the shadow, but character is the tree." Just as the shadow around a tree changes, your reputation can also change. But no matter what happens to your reputation, your character always remains the same. It is what you are made out of and who you are. Another quote you may also know is from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In it he said, "I have a dream that one day my children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

These words sound throughout history that above all else is a person's character. Do you think that it is a coincidence that some of the most prominent figures throughout history had good character? Character is not just what we display for others to see, it is who we are even when no one is watching. Having good character is making the right choices for the sole reason that we know it is right. I believe in character.