In the United States, literature that was put out on the basis of success focused on the Character Ethic. The Character Ethic involved values like integrity, humbleness, simplicity, fairness, modesty, passion, bravery, justice, and the Golden Rule. This was during the first 150 years, but shortly after World War I, the view of success came into a different illumination. The Personality Ethic was viewed as the basis of success rather than the Character Ethic.
Books in this area showed that the motivating force behind success was due to a person’s personality rather than his role. Personality Ethic involved public image, how one dresses himself, how one performs during social interactions, one’s positive mental attitude, skills and techniques to get others behave a certain way.
Newer literature briefly talked about the importance of one’s character, though it was all what you can call “lip service.” The message that came across was that if you say and do the right things and people view you a certain way, then you will achieve the results you are aiming for.
I was stuck out in the late 1960’s and did not have any experience with the success literature that dealt with the Character Ethic. I got up with the success literature that talked about our personality. Most books discussed about how one should act, how one should prune and what to read. It spoke about how saying the good things can tempt others and what makes you draw what you desire.
We were taught unconsciously to keep in line and manipulate our way through our lives without thinking of who we were, and what we really wanted to get along with our lives. The irony of it altogether was that these records and programs were telling us this is what to do to make what you desire. The hidden message in these books was to manipulate it until we get to it and that it doesn't matter if we are not our actual selves, it doesn't count if you are not the real you as long as people like you and you receive what you desire. This was a key realization for me. I was faking it and I really did not know who I was and what I wanted.
It likewise made me realize that those who manipulated me were also manipulated because we had all been studying the same scripts and doing what these volumes had been ordering us. We changed our personality because it was what was demanded from us. It was what these books told us to do in order to achieve success.
In all the books I have read, there is no mention about character. What character is and how important it is to us. With my realization, I have been teaching people The Power Habits System. I have been practicing this for the last two decades because I understand its importance. I understand the importance of turning back to the Character Ethic and through The Power Habits System, I hope you understand it as well.
Noah St. John is famous for inventing Afformations® and creating high-impact, customized strategies for fast-growing companies and leading organizations around the world.
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