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Happy Living | Character Day“Temperance puts wood on the fire, meal in the barrel, flour in the tub, money in the purse, credit in the country, contentment in the house, clothes on the back, and vigor in the body.”
(Benjamin Franklin)

Today, as our series leading up to Character Day[1] continues, we are celebrating the virtue of temperance.

Character Day is a global online event, featuring experts in the field of character education. The intention of Character Day is to engage schools, corporations, universities, civic groups and others in deep conversation about the importance of character development. All participants (Sign up here!) receive access to award-winning films, conversation starter kits, a comprehensive online resource hub, and a mobile app, including over 5,000 pieces of curated content focused on the importance of character development. This is all provided to support those who are interested in hosting their own Character Day event, and the resources are free!

Character Day is a worldwide phenomenon, and it’s growing fast. In 2016, there were 93,000 unique Character Day events held in 125 countries, and in all 50 United States. Every event is focused on a single, simple theme: developing character strengths.

At Happy Living, we believe that every day is Character Day. And we write, a lot, to inspire others to believe it too. In fact, we’ve been writing about the character strengths—wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence—since long before we even heard of Character Day.

A quick search on our website for “forgiveness,” “humility,” and “self control,” all strengths listed under the category of “temperance,” returned forty-five different posts! (Forgiveness=4, Humility=10, Self-Control=31) Searching with the keyword “discipline,” a synonym of “self-control,” returned another fourteen.

Here are excerpts from a few of my favorite Happy Living posts about temperance.


Forgiveness

My Philosophy for Happy Living

Every life is full of obstacles, failures, and setbacks. Mine is no exception.

I simply try to do the right thing – and when I slip up, I have learned to forgive myself quickly, without judgment, get back up, and get back at it.

Humility

A Tribute to Dr. Wayne Dyer – You Didn’t Die with Your Music Still In You

Dr. Dyer describes the first stages of life as “the morning,” where one’s focus is on ambition. The later stages of life, “the afternoon,” can be dramatically enriched with a shift of focus from ambition to meaning.

Describing his own experience of the shift, he said, “There was an inner feeling that I had something greater to give.” He felt as if he was being guided by something larger than himself. He describes a shift from a sense of entitlement to a sense of humility.

Self-Control

Inspiration Isn’t Enough To Transform Your Life

Have you heard people say “My pants don’t fit me anymore”? Have you said it yourself?

It’s an all too common phrase in our modern language. It underscores a dangerous shift from a culture of personal responsibility to one of blaming others. If I say, “I don’t fit into my pants anymore” then I’m taking responsibility. Somehow it’s easier for me to blame my pants as if they did the changing.

So, the first step to a better you is accepting personal responsibility for developing your full potential as a human being. This is completely within your control. It comes from inside you. Dedicate yourself to personal responsibility from today forward.

Discipline

Making Time for Life’s Wonders

Each week I consider how I can invest substantial time in those things that are truly important to me. I have learned that I am most effective when I focus on just one or two major items each day. Therefore, I strive to identify no more than ten priority items each week and make certain I allocate enough time for them.

This weekly routine helps me stay disciplined to my goal of aligning my time to the people and things that are most valuable and meaningful to me.


This post is part five in my series leading up to Character Day 2017. Check out my favorite posts about Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, and Justice. Up next, the grand finale: Transcendence.

Take One More Click to join our free Happy Living Character Day Workshop on September 13 to bring positive character changes to your life.

[1] Watch 1min Character Day Trailer

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