Overview Of The Values That Make Up A Person Of Substance

In our daily life, we encounter all kinds of people. Some we like, some we admire, some we avoid, and some we despise. We should always be asking ourselves “what kind of person I want to be?”. Even though we may be a fully-grown adult, we should still be learning how to navigate this world, how to interact with it and what our place is within it.

Those are questions that we may never be able to answer, and it makes life worth living to be continuously discovering oneself. What I have come up with so far is that being a person of substance is what we should be working towards every day. A person of substances is someone who strives to live a life that means something and who chooses to participate in life in order to be a part of the solution as opposed to the problem. It is also a person of power, a person of positive influence and a person of meaning.

To discover, a person of substance would be a person who has strong character, who is consistent, and will have variety of interest outside and within their home and family. They will try to conduct the life with patience, honesty and integrity in which they would be aware with the fairness and hurtfulness. A person of substance possesses a virtue that brings peacefulness, love, patience and steadfastness in themselves and their surroundings. Besides virtue and other character qualities, they also have knowledge. This doesn’t mean just a knowledge about hairstyles or their performance but knowledge about subjects of interest to others. A person of substance is more of action oriented and hence is better able to deliver a change in society at large.

A person of substance adds value to the world and create something whether it is a material item, a thought, or an emotion. Hard work and accomplishing what they strive to was the real deal for them and will be the dream of theirs to be fulfilled. It’s important to note that a person of substance doesn’t have to be successful or they don’t have to arrive at their destination. They just have to have the desire to better themselves and add something of value to the world. Striving to build a solid record of achievement will be a dream rather than feeling trampled down by the societal pressure.

To be a person of substance, the very first thing is: we need to explore and embrace our own selves and become more open to different views. We must read, inquire and exert the utmost power of our mind to explore and absorb new ideas and ideologies from various source. If one way doesn’t lead to the desired meaning, we should take another method and if obstacles arise, then still look for other until our strength holds out so that we can find that clear which at first looked dark. Having determined vision, goals and a straightforward attitude with less attention seeking motives and more inclination towards one’s work is something that world deliver a sense of purpose in one’s life.

Being a person of substances isn’t an extraordinary work. Everyone can be a person of substance. Being consistent, humble, empathetic, candid and having passions and supporting it and those who would embrace nuance and uncertainty will make you a person of substance. They would acknowledge everything in life as a full of compliments and there won’t have discrimination and can see the other side of every argument, since, they would want to experience the world through someone else eyes. Being empathetic is one of the core characters of person of substance. It’s all to do with humanity and connections. As said by Angelou (n.d). “I have learned that people will forget what we have said, people will forget what we did, but they would never forget how we made them to feel”.

Our integrity is more important than our likability. Once all is said and done, people will respect those who acted on what they believe in than believed what others want them to act on. Being true to ourselves and to finding our own selves is what we should do as a person of substance. They would be filed with full of positive energies and they challenge to learn new things. Encounter new cultures, situations and activities that they come across in their life. They would never brag on themselves for something they had done where their identity would revolve around their ethics not on laurels. Their words will be their oath and are reliable person. They will be the someone who takes care of their responsibilities no matter the time and place. A person of substance will understand that there is something greater in the world for them to serve, whether this be humanity or a cause.

Just like the hospitality determines the status of restaurant and the returns earned determines the worth of the investment, the attributes possessed defines the characters of human being. Henry Ward Beecher an American Congregationalist Clergyman, social reformer and well-known speaker perfectly quoted: “He is rich or poor, according to what he is, not for what he has”. So, to know more about a person of substance, let’s have a look at the qualities that a person of substance holds:

Acts with responsibility: the first and foremost characteristic that makes an individual strong from the core is acting with responsibility. The word acting signifies the importance of being in the moment and taking steps that are required based on the present situations. Such an individual is well informed about the need of that moment, without letting the past prejudice or future anxieties creating any hindrances. Not only taking actions but also holding responsibility for the consequences of those actions are vital. A person of substance knows inside out that blaming is a useless and time-wasting game. Thus, they take up the responsibility for the consequences that arise due to their actions.

Meaningful life: having a purposeful life and a reason to strive for is what makes an individual full of substance. They are aware of the fact that a life without purpose is like a life spent wandering in the maze, wherein you entered but never reached the goal. Moreover, being aware of the purpose is a perquisite in order to act with responsibility. If an individual is unaware of what they are supposed to do, acting is always hindered by confusions.

The learning curve: learning, unlearning and relearning is a continuous process through which an individual has to go throughout the lifetime. A person with substance is attentive to the changing world and holds the humanity to let go of the knowledge that is unnecessary with changing times. He or she is a continuous learner and adapts according to the altering environment. They never let ‘ignorance’ play its game in their life. They are conscious of the fact that there is still something out there that they don’t know. The perspective of “I don’t know what I don’t know” is a supreme stimulation for their learning.

Believes in creation: the person of substance very well knows that reacting to situations is not going to do any good. Thus, the attribute of creating instead of reacting is deeply seated in the mind of such an individual. When faced by adversities, they know thoroughly how to accept them and turn into something more creative and productive. Such creation will not only enhance their understanding of life but will also benefit them as well as the people who are with them. They understand that the situations that arise in life are always accompanied by a message, so instead of finding a reason to cover it up, they try to find what they have to learn from it.

The universe is their platform: a person of substance does not live or work just for themselves or their family or just a few individuals. They always intend to impact a huge number of individuals by their actions. They perform for the best of all and thus the whole universe is a platform for them. They never seem to limit themselves while serving others.

Everyone makes mistakes, and a person of substance would take responsibility for those errors instead of trying to hide from blame, they would willingly admit on their wrong doings to rectify the situations. I believe that striving to be a person of substance builds hope into our lives-the hope of stronger and deeper relationships, the hope of being sincere and real, the hope of living with integrity, and the hope of knowing that god is at work in our life.

To conclude, a person of substance will never wish for an easy-going life but an inspiring one. Such an individual will always want to learn from the loss incurred and mistakes they had made. such learning will enhance the strength and resilience and guide the person to the realization of the actual potential of his or her own life.