Personality vs. Character - Tribute to Stephen R. Covey

I must say I was a bit ashamed to learn, this morning, of the death of the man who turned my life around - 15 months later. I was still a teenager when I got hold of Stephen R. Covey's book, the famous "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". I remember taking a notebook to jot down a few pointers that I wanted to remember, a couple of chapters later I realised I was almost rewriting the whole book in pen! After reading this book my whole life changed, the leader in me awakened, I found my purpose. The book was like a hot sadza meal after a lifetime of Zapnax chips. And this is why.

PERSONALITY

If you are living with the Personality Ethic your success depends on your public image, your attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques that lubricate the processes of human interaction. Most of the self help books these days are preaching the gospel of personality, working on your positive mental attitude, positive thinking, "smiling wins more friends than frowning", sprucing up your image, bla bla bla. Its mostly a bunch of quick-fix techniques and tips on getting what you want in life. In the African context I will add things like juju, mbinjiri, zvikwambo, nyoka dzemari, kugadzirwa, kuchekeresa, tundumuseresere what-not, you know, the whole African science shebang. This is what I call "dinning on chips".

CHARACTER

Character Ethic, iri ndosadza manje, proper meal! If you are living with the Character Ethic your success depends on things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule-Love thy neighbour as thou lovest thyself. Well, it's easy to see why this is a more solid foundation for long lasting success. Those who built their wealth on this foundation vanonyatsorara hope dzekudenga, dzekwa Jakhobho chaidzo, havarare vachirota nyoka, they don't have nightmares when they sleep. Their success is peaceful and long standing, it is filled with the love of all the people they served and helped on their way to success, the love of all the people whose lives they touched.

They are not subconsciously tormented by the guilt of the bribes they received and gave, the shortcuts they took, the papers they forged, the customers they robbed with substandard services and half baked products in persuit of quick success.

COMPARISON

The Character Ethic is based on Universal Principles whose author is the same that authored the foundations of the Earth, it doesn't really matter by which name you call him, or it, or them. It Is based on the principle of Love, the principle of sowing then reaping, as opposed to reaping without sowing - pursuit of quick money, quick fixes and techniques. You've got to build a relationship, that dazzling smile of yours ain't gonna build trust. 

The Personality Ethic has short-lived results, short relationships,  no real love involved, low trust, low effectiveness, low...gees, why on earth would you settle for something like this? It is all that is glittering yet not really gold. Deep down, every human being longs for something real, they may like you for a while, but the moment they discover your weakness in character poof! its gone. To all the guys out there, somebody told me "All a girl wants is the man that will prove to her they are not all the same." Everyone can pull a swaggalicious personality but are going to be the one with the solid character?

Conclusion

"Build your character. Success  might take you