Courtesy

When you smile, the world smiles back at you. Have you ever noticed that when you smile at someone, the person almost always smiles back? A smile is a very common, honest and sincere form of courtesy. It costs nothing to use, and makes both the giver and the recipient feel accepted. It is the clearest example of courtesy that I know of.

Integrity

Every living creature in the world has the ultimate desire to be happy. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness as long as they do not hurt others. The only way to be truly happy is to feel good about ones self. The best way to accomplish this is to make other people happy. To me, belief in this principle reveals the strongest integrity.

Perseverance

Perfection is as the sun. We are warmed and enriched by its presence, yet it is forever destined to be out of our reach. We are always striving to reach perfection, but just as with the sun, to reach it, would mean to be consumed by it. It is the universe’s way of never ending challenge. Perfection challenges us to always outdo ourselves. Perseverance is nature’s way of paving the path to success.

Self-Control

If it were not for gravity, life on earth would have never gotten started. Without gravity, everything would simply fly away until all was forever out of reach. Self-control is the gravity of our being, without which we would become distanced from the very things that nurture us. Without self-control, it would be impossible to find our center or balance in life. We would not know who we were or where we wished to go.

Indomitable Spirit

A mountain in the summer is a beautiful sight to behold. Flowers decorate the fields. Animals are out and about. The streams run free and clear. Life is easy. Yet in the severe harshness of winter, the mountain is still just as beautiful. The hardships of unimaginable extremes only serve to make the mountain even more beautiful. People are endowed with this same indomitable spirit. It allows us to overcome life’s challenges and adversities and gives us the ability to see beauty in all things.