4 Qualities Every Person Needs

"Be yourself". We hear this phrase everywhere. "Be your own person", "Stand out", "Be independent". These phrases can be found just about anywhere we look. After all, life is all about being happy and be uniquely you, right?

Though the world tells us to be whatever we want, there are some qualities that should not be compromised. Be extroverted, be exuberant. Be quirky or be reserved. These traits are fine. We can take our pick. But there our some traits that simply need to be a part of who we are. Some traits make life much fuller.

1.) Selflessness

In a world that is all about individualism, selflessness is a foreign concept. Why would we help someone that has just hurt us? Why would we be kind to those who were far from kind to us? Selflessness makes life a lot less heartbreaking, from where I stand. If we are only thinking of ourselves, we will be a lot more hurt by the wrong-doing of others. However, if we decide to put the needs and feelings of other's before our own, we won't be so focused on whether or not our treatment is "fair".


2.) Courage

Living as a selfless person does not mean living without courage. It doesn't mean being a doormat or letting people abuse you. Every person needs to be courageous. Having courage means standing up for what we believe in. Being courageous means being genuine in a world that is full of gossips and fakes. Having courage means doing what is right, not what is expected. Having courage means speaking kindly of a co-worker, even if everyone else is spewing hateful words. Having courage means not being afraid to live a life that has the potential to change the world for good.

3.) A forgiving heart

Forgiveness is one of the hardest concepts on the planet. Who wants to give up vengeance when someone has hurt them? Not many people are willing. Most harbor hurt and anger until the day they die, wishing that revenge would come to those who have done wrong. But if we kept count of how many times we have wronged or hurt another person, we would quickly find that we are just as guilty as the next person. I doubt very seriously any of us wish that same sentence upon ourselves that we wished on the ones who did us wrong... Am I right? And as a Christian, Christ forgave me, and gave me eternal life. I believe he has called me to share that grace with others.


4.) A willingness to listen

What would happen if every time we tried to talk about something important, our best friend interrupted us and started talking about themselves? Chances are, we'd all be looking for a new best friend. That's because we know that a real friend listens and cares about how we feel and what is going on in our lives.
In the same way,  we probably won't be making any friends if we don't know how to listen and give them that same attention we crave. We cannot expect a very smooth ride in life if we aren't willing to listen to the needs of others.

None of us are perfect. We aren't always going to be good listeners, and we won't always do the best job of forgiving those who have hurt us. But if we make it our goal to cultivate these qualities in our lives, with the help of God, we will be far better off. Life won't be easy, but living by these traits will make it much more meaningful.