Your education is first moral, then mental

“Nothing can stop the man with the right character from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong character,” says
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America.

Elon Musk, meanwhile, said, “My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality (character). I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.”

Most times people don’t really buy what you have. They buy who you are. Can you be trusted? Do people see you as being honest? Can people hold on to your words and promises? Do you show up on time for meetings? Do you have a signature of excellence in what you do? How do you handle provocations? How do your handle people with a different point of view from yours? It is actually a waste of education when you refuse to see things from other people’s points of view.

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals. Now more than ever, educators shouldn’t teach just content, they must also teach morals, ethics and cultivate empathy and mindfulness in every student. Character education fosters the development of moral and ethical citizens by teaching them good values. Educators have special roles to play in creating kind, compassionate citizens with a strong moral compass.

Skills can be acquired and mastered over the years, but character defects are most times irredeemable. The character you bring into the job is more important than the skills you bring.

There are many things that can get you to the top, but the one thing that will keep you there is character. Many companies hire employees for their character and then train them on the job. They do this with the idea that you can teach skills, but cannot change a person’s character.

Your character can be considered more valuable than an MBA or PhD. A person can have all the necessary experience and skills, but if their personality does not fit the company’s culture, are they really the right people to hire?

For reference, Japan and South Korea don’t use a typical syllabus nor do any exams in primary schools. Up to fourth grade, students are taught etiquette, manners, how to be humble towards elders and the history, and other details about their country.

Until we give the right character its place in our life, we will always end up bankrupt regardless of how buoyant we are in every other area of life.. And regardless of which schools skills will be in high demand in the next 20 years, but one thing that I know is that there is no organization that outgrows the need for people with good character. Your degree and skills are useless without good character.

You will never rise above the limitations of your character. I have come to a diagnostic conclusion that the greatest of all human problems is the character problem. There is no amount of skills and degrees that can substitute for character. Sometimes, you need character, not just the acquisition of degrees. There is more hope in life for a poor man with the right character than a rich man with the wrong character.

You will need to do a character audit to know the pattern of behaviour and the character defects holding you down from living your best life. What is your biggest character flaw and what are the steps you want to take to overcome it? Discuss this with your mentor and work seriously to build up the character that is in tandem with your destination. Make conscious efforts to work on any character trait that is inimical to your destiny.

Cheers to the best you!