Ability and Character

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. - John Wooden

We see it most with sports stars because they’re flashy, we watch them anyway, and the media love to revel in the destruction of our heroes. A sports figure will hit the top of her game, make huge money, and become well known. If she has character, she will continue to be pretty much the same person as she has always been. If she does not, she will start believing what the press and the sycophants say about her and believing she’s entitled to what’s she’s gotten even if her game slips. When those over-inflated egos take a tumble, the same media that manned the pumps earlier will now be there to revel in her defeat.

It’s the same in business. Ethical businesses stay in business longer than unethical businesses of the same ability level. It’s the same with relationships. An unethical person can get lots of dates, but an ethical person can get a longer-lasting relationship. And on and on. Ability will get you far, but character, ethics, doing the honorable thing, will aid you greatly, too.