12 ways to upgrade your character

Everyone aspires to have the ideal character. But what can you do to find the right character for yourself among all the other characters out there? These 12 suggestions may give you some insight.

1. Cultivate a Sense of Humor

Enjoy laughter and benevolent jokes. Be pleased to bring pleasure to others. Having a sense of humor helps us to the see relaxing and funny sides of matter and keeps us resilient when facing obstacles or difficult times.

Suggestions

• Share jokes on the Internet with friends.
• Think about things that can make you laugh heartily every day.
• Watch more comedies or interesting videos.
• Josh occasionally.
• Read humorous books or comics.
• Think about the funny or humorous side of a situation.

Joke at times, make yourself humorous.

2. Caring for Others

Your family and friends can keep you company during adversities. Their love and friendship are often priceless.

Cherish close relationships, especially when people also care about you and are willing to share. We can express love for people we adore and rely on, or those who are dependent on us. Care makes us trust others. When making decisions, try to take their needs into consideration. Care can also bring us warmth and a sense of satisfaction.

Suggestions

• Make small gifts or cards for people you care about.
• Pay attention to things, places or activities that they love and share with them.
• Show your love with body language (e.g. peck or hug).
• Listen to them attentively and give your support.
• Celebrate important days with loved ones.
• Support or assist others in attaining a self-enhancement plan (e.g. learning a new skill or doing physical exercise).

Cooking for someone we care is another way that we can express our love.

3. Be Hopeful

Believe and get over sorrow. Strive and look towards the future. Have faith in the future and believe hard work pays. Hope keeps us optimistic and positive, gives us the vitality to move forward.

Suggestions

• Recall good memories when having hard times. Remind yourself how you overcame similar obstacles in the past.
• Think about the positive aspects of a difficult situation.
• Picture your dream life a year from now and plan to make it real.
• Learn from past mistakes actively. Do not get stuck with regrets.
• Read supportive and encouraging materials.
• Accept present difficulties, while looking forward to the future. Set some long-term goals.

4. Be Enthusiastic

Go for it with enthusiasm. Gain success with full effort. Devote and do everything at full stretch. This is an important component of success. No matter you are studying or working, enthusiasm can let you enjoy the process and achieve more with less effort.

Suggestions

• Spend more effort and dedicate yourself more to existing activities.
• Exercise twice or thrice a week to get more energetic.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule to have enough rest.
• Join healthy activities like dancing, musical or artistic events in your spare time.
• Go outdoor for hiking, cycling or having picnic once a week.
• Meet friends regularly to share happiness in life.

5. Be Brave

Avoid worrying too much when facing troubles. Take challenges despite fear.

Bravery means the boldness to stride forward dauntlessly. It makes us move on courageously without backing down or being timid even if we suffer or get threatened and challenged.

Suggestions

• Accept the difference between yourself and other people.
• Try to express different opinions in a group.
• Reflect and be certain with your ideal and values.
• Stand against injustice or immoral events.
• Raise critical questions and opinions.
• Observe other’s brave actions in daily life.

Take challenges despite fear.

6. Act with Prudence

Do things on second thought instead of being impulsive. Think twice before you act. Prudence helps us achieve goals step by step. On the contrary, impulsiveness messes things up. Being cautious does not mean being pedantic or acting cowardly, but making wise choice with intelligence. Loose lips sink ships. Speaking appropriately at a proper time is a wise way to go.

Suggestions

• Think twice before you act.
• List out both advantages and disadvantages for your choices.
• Ask for family or friends’ opinions before making final decisions.
• Think about short and long-term consequences brought by your decision.
• Do not make important decisions recklessly when being anxious or agitated.
• Reflect on your past experience. Review your gain and loss.

7. Master self-discipline

Self-discipline brings appropriate constraint to a person’s behavior. Living a well-planned, orderly life can help us actualise our goals. A well-disciplined person can control his/her impulses, avoid being reckless and resist temptation. Emotional management, which belongs to part of self-discipline, is a key to success because it helps improve interpersonal relationship and boost personal growth.

Suggestions

• Plan and set goals before taking actions.
• Form the habit of writing and executing a things-to-do-list every day.
• Rest according to your schedule. Have seven-to-nine-hour sleep per day.
• Eat regularly in the morning, afternoon and evening with appropriate amount of food.
• Watch out for sudden impulsion and negative emotions. Calm down, breathe deeply, stabilize your emotion and regain a peace of mind.
• Learn to withstand bitterness before enjoying sweetness. Resist temptations like watching TV, surfing internet, shopping and eating junk food. Delay gratification.

8. Develop Insight

Insights help us understand the root of a matter, have careful observation of surrounding changes and recognize deeper repercussions. People with insights know their own situations, strengths and weaknesses well. This enables them to make better choices.

Suggestions

• Observe carefully from historical, cultural, economic and social aspects and vantage points.
• Pay more attention to people and things around you. Analyze them and make your own judgment.
• Interact and exchange ideas with people from all walks of life.
• Listen to people attentively and observe their body languages.
• Learn to be empathetic and understand others’ feelings.
• Listen to your own thoughts and feelings. Figure out your real intentions and emotions.

9. Enhance Creativity

Creativity means the ability to invent new ideas and motifs. Creative people do not run in a groove but breakthrough the conventional box, solve problems with creativity, raise efficiency and bring colors and freshness to lives. Think out of the box and show your creativity.

Suggestions

• Start with reading, listening, watching, discussing, thinking and writing more.
• Read creative and inspiring books.
• Take photography, ceramic, drawing and flower-arranging courses.
• Enjoy a creative journey by visiting handicraft shops or spending time in nature.
• Observe existing or familiar things or environments from a new angle to dig out new elements.
• Discuss new ideas or problem-solving methods with friends.

10. Be Perseverant 

Perseverance pushes us to hold on until the end, supports us to finish tasks and enjoy the process even if there are obstacles. It makes us become more patient and focused so as to achieve goals of any size. Never give up even if there is frustration.

Suggestions

• Set up five little goals every week. Go for them step by step and finish them on time.
• Read encouraging quotes or poems and take them as your mottos.
• Attend talks or courses about time management. Practice what you learn.
• Choose people who are perseverant in the society as role model to imitate.
• Fully devote yourself into two meaningful activities that you are interested in.
• Design a five-year plan. Find out your strengths. Cultivate skills that you lack.

Perseverance pushes us to hold on until the end.

11. Be Thankful

Thank people by telling them. Multiply happiness with thankfulness.

Search and thank for beautiful things. Take actions to thank. A thankful heart enables us to admire other’s goodwill and be friendly.

Suggestions

• Write down good things happened to you or good people you met before you sleep every night (e.g. things that went well, people who facilitate any success, etc.).
• Think about people who cook for you when you eat and thank them in your heart.
• Take actions like calling or paying visits to appreciate the people who help you.
• Specify what you thank for instead of just saying “thank you” (e.g. calls received for expressing sympathy and encouragement, the company for jogging, etc.).
• Leave some quiet moments to yourself every day. Think about things in life that make you gratified (e.g. health, learning opportunities, open-mindedness, religion freedom, etc.).
• Write thank you cards or letters to people who are influential to your life.

12. Seek for Spirituality

Spirituality is not restricted to religious practices. It is a common experience all human beings share. Apart from reminding us that we are part of the nature, it awakens us by feeling the lofty values and meanings of the universe and of lives. Such values and meanings can guide us to the right way and comfort us.

Find meanings in things to live for. Have faith which will comfort you.

Suggestions

• Read books or reference materials about spirituality and religious faith.
• Pray, meditate or cogitate.
• Think deeply for a life purpose and methods to achieve it.
• Think about how you can contribute to the world and the society.
• Read encouraging quotes.
• Explore different religions and the philosophy of life through different channels like discussion, reading or open-door activities.