Character

I've heard it said, "Character is the sum total of our choices in life." I think often we believe that character is something more innate and maybe even immutable. However, if the statement is true, we can make choices and allow our choices to make us. We have the ability to shape our character which comes with intentionally making choices.

We make hundreds of choices each day and while many of them may be limited in their impact, thinking more about them caused me to wonder how intentional I really am. When I got dressed this morning, I picked a blue suit. Not grey. No real impact. But I picked a suit and not my T-shirt (Improving shirt!) and jeans casual. Why? Well, I had meetings today that called for it. That's the outcome I wanted. The person I wanted to show up as; professional, prepared, and properly attired. Not that there's anything wrong with casual unless you've missed the mark on what was called for.

Then I made a choice about what to eat. Fish or chicken? Not a big difference there either. However, if I made the choice to eat gluten, there's an impact. I'll be foggy the rest of the day, not well for several days; low energy, and miserable. So I'm intentional about what I choose to eat because of the outcomes I want (and don't want!).

Tomorrow, I'll choose to climb out of bed and work out. I'm a "fitness guy" and that's a part of my character that I want and so I make a choice that aligns with that. So, what are the outcomes I want? The character I want to have. And where, in my life, am I making choices that do and don't align with that?