To me, character is all about living your truth. Character and truth are one and the same—character is your truths come to life in your actions.

There are so many quotes about character that sum it up nicely. Choose a quote from the list below and spend some time thinking about it—then write about how you feel about it, what wisdom you gain from it, and how it applies to your life now and your personal vision for your own character.

“The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions.” –Dr. Steve Maraboli

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden

“Habits change into character.” –Ovid

“Character is revealed when pressure is applied.” –Anonymous

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” –H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

What inspires you? Who do you inspire? What do you find inspiring? Where do you drawn inspiration from? How does inspiration serve you? Do you value inspiration? Is it something you want to pass on to your children? Write about it.

What excites you? What are you most enthusiastic about? How does that enthusiasm serve you? Do you value enthusiasm? Is it something you want to pass on to your children?

Are you a supportive person? What does support mean to you? Do you value support? Is this something you want to pass on to your children? How can you express support for/to others? What do you find easy to support? When has it been challenging to be supportive? Spend a few moments reflecting on support in your own life, both as the supporter and the person who was being supported.

Are you a good listener? Do you like to ask questions of others? I once heard that curiosity can be a healthy expression of love. In other words, when you ask someone questions about themselves, it’s a way to get to know them better. Asking questions shows that you are curious about what another person thinks or believes. And that can bring up a lot of positive feelings in that other person and strengthen your relationship with them, especially if you really hear them. Do you ask questions of others to get to know them better?

What does it feel like when you feel heard by someone else? Write about it. Do you feel you offer that same courtesy to others? What could you do to be a better listener? What could you do to model listening for your children?

Are you a compassionate person? How do you express that compassion? Is this a quality you value? Is it one that you would like to pass on to your children? Spend a few moments thinking about the last time you had the opportunity to practice compassion.

Would you describe yourself as a passionate person? Do you value passion? Is this a quality you would like to encourage in your children? What are you passionate about? What areas of your life would you like to spend more time being passionate about?

Our culture doesn’t encourage taking time to process, well, anything really. It’s a culture of instant gratification and quickly moving on to the next thing. But this is one topic that needs intention. It requires our time, attention, and focus. Take some time today to process.

Check in with yourself: how are you feeling at this point? Are you comfortable with your choices in your will/trust? Can you see that your answers aren’t set in stone and can change over time as needed? Really try to get some perspective today by writing about how you’re feeling up to this point.