What are the five major characteristics of success? If I were to be able to raise my kids again, here is the list I would use, in this order.
1. Ethics. The person who knows right from wrong almost instinctively has a tremendous head start in life. He is less likely to fall into a snare. Given the low, low, cost of sin these days, a person needs a barrier. The best one is internal. The earlier the child has this, the better.
2. Good Judgment. Knowing what is in principle right and wrong does not guarantee that a person will apply this knowledge to his circumstances. Good judgment pushes a person to do what he knows to be the right thing. Knowing what to do in general is not good enough. You must know what to do right now. Some people call this common sense. It's not all that common.
3. Courage. This begins with the courage of your convictions. This is where a lot of people go off the tracks. They get in with the wrong crowd. They do not have the courage to say no or leave. Fear is a terrible curse.
4. Future-orientation. The child knows how to defer gratification. He sacrifices in the present for a greater return in the future. In terms of economic success, this is probably the distinguishing characteristic.
5. A Sense of Humor. I do not mean a sense of comedy. I don't mean Billy Crystal or Robin Williams. I mean Will Rogers or Dave Barry. Someone who sees the funny side of life has a great advantage. He is likely to worry less. He is likely to cheer up people. We like to be around people who can laugh at the hard times.
Source: https://www.garynorth.com/members/23679.cfm
