iServi News | 12 November 2020 | Term 4, Week 5
Character Strength Spotlight: Honesty
Provided by Cat Lamb, a consultant with the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong.
- Integrity, authenticity
- Telling the truth and taking responsibility for your feelings and actions
Honesty is a strength which is closely related to other strengths of Courage, including Bravery, Perseverance and Zest. These strengths are about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.
Honesty leads to a fulfilling, free life. Honesty is not just about telling the truth. It’s about being real with yourself and others about who you are, what you want and what you need to live your most authentic life. Honesty sharpens our perception and allows us to observe everything around us with clarity.
Respectable, admired behaviour is always carried out with honesty. Telling the truth and backing it up with actions show respect for what’s right and an esteem for ethical and moral integrity. Honesty is one of the key components to character and one of the most admired traits of any successful, responsible person.
Honesty and seeking the truth is always the way to go. Honesty engenders confidence, faith, empowers our willpower and represents us in the best way for others to see and witness our example. Honesty improves our vitality.
At Servite, success is not viewed only in terms of good grades, and certainly not the number of Facebook followers!
We value success at Servite in terms of strength of character, self-awareness, honesty, emotional intelligence and hard work. How we treat ourselves, others and how we use our talents to improve the lives of others.
What does a focus on Honesty look like in your world today?
- Can you remember a time when you acted with integrity or authenticity, even when that felt hard, or not particularly cool?
- Have a conversation about people who act with authenticity or integrity.
- Can you be honest with yourself and name a challenge or a success you have experienced?
Things to try:
TED Talk
The Magic of Truth and Lies
Movies
Catch Me If You Can (2002) or Mean Girls (2004)
Podcast
Unlocking Us, Brene Brown
Mrs Franca Coutts
Vice Principal