Over the years I’ve seen ones character compared to reputation, personality, and other related areas. Different sources have slightly different takes on what each one means, but I love how Adam Grant separated “character” and “personality” in his book “Hidden Potential“.
He had two good thoughts that I really liked. The first one was:
“Character is often confused with personality, but they’re not the same. Personality is your predisposition—your basic instincts for how to think, feel, and act. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.”
Put more simply, in his words again:
“If personality is how you respond on a typical day, character is how you show up on a hard day.”
I also like how Bryan Stevenson defined character in “Just Mercy“, when he said:
“The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”
I love being around people that have a fun personality, but in the long run character counts for much more.
