The Motivation for teaching good character
About Me
I am a family man and a father of four children, 3 boys/men and 1 girl/woman, (and four grandchildren, and counting, I hope). I have been married for 25 plus years to my wonderful wife, Diane. I also co-own a small construction company with my wife, and employ around 100 people. I grew up in a small town of about 28,000 people in southern Iowa. I have 3 brothers, 2 older and 1 younger. I am lucky enough to still have both my parents who have been married for over 56 years. I also knew all four of my grandparents and 3 of my great grandparents. What a blessing! I enjoy scuba diving, water skiing, restoring old cars and driving fast cars on road courses.
As I got older, I became more and more a man of faith, even though I was a cradle Catholic. As my children have grown up and left the nest, I realized how important it was to have taught them a good foundation and teaching good character
" When you're focused on getting those around you into Heaven, as much as yourself, you'll automatically live your life with great Character."
Barry Meguiar
Why I am speaking about Character
Several years ago I was sitting in an outdoor ramada with ten teenage boys and a few adult leaders during a weekend service project. A gentleman with a military background, who worked at the Pentagon, was telling the boys about his experiences. I asked him to explain to the boys what the definition of “character” meant to him. After twenty minutes, I was in awe at his passion and explanation of “character.” It was similar to my understanding and belief of the word, but he explained it 100% appropriately to those young boys/men listening.
A few years later, while listening to the radio, I heard a man recount a story about how every time he dropped his kid off at school he would say to him, “Don’t Tarnish Your Character.” That phrase really hit home for me so ever since hearing that, I have been repeating that exact phrase to my youngest son who still resides at home. Whenever I drop my son off anywhere or when he leaves the house I say, “Don’t Tarnish Your Character”. I have now condensed it to DTYC.
"Your words, your actions and how you treat others, that is how we should be judged!"
Anonymous
What I would like to accomplish
I am aiming to teach our youth the importance of good character. Talk to them about what character is and how easy it is to tarnish their character, how fast you can tarnish your name, what people think of you, how people look at you, how people treat you. I also want to explain how to clean up your character, change the way people treat you, think of you and trust you. I want to use words, phrases, videos, and sometimes notable personalities, to show good examples of character and how to be a role model. Let our youth know it is ok to say no to a friend, tell a friend he should not do something, especially if they may regret it some day. Stand up for the weak, fearful, underdog, and even sometimes, buck the system, if you truly believe it is right, and it is a moral issue. You should strive to have good friends and family that love you and whom you love, rather than seek attention or 15 minutes of fame. It is better to be known as a good person who treated people right, than to be rich or famous.
"If your friends aren't making you a better version of yourself, are they truly your friends?"
Matthew Kelly