Adam Smith, in his important book, ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’,wrote that excellent people have three primary virtues. In order, these are Prudence, Justice and Benevolence. Each of them is essential to the others, and to the living of a full life in society.
The virtue of prudence refers to your developing the habit of providing well for yourself, your family, your friends, your coworkers and your company. This requires that you think intelligently and honestly about the very best course of action to maximise your opportunities and minimise possible danger and threats.
The habit of prudence means that you investigate every investment carefully, think ahead about what might happen if you were to take a particular course of action, and take intelligent steps to guard against setbacks and reversals of fortune. The most successful people are those who are prudent in the conduct in all of their personal and business affairs.
Justice is blind
The second habit for you to develop is the habit of justice. This refers to your commitment to the establishment and maintenance of laws in society that protect the persons and property of every individual. Nations endure because they are carefully established by Founders on the basis of law, not men. “At every level of our society, specific laws are prescribed and laid down that are applicable to all people, regardless of wealth or station in life.”
True justice is applicable to all people who live under a certain system, irrespective of their background. When you make the habit of justice an organizing virtue for your own character, you will insist that, whatever the relative power of the parties, everyone be treated fairly and justly in the resolution of any difficulty or dispute.
The habit of prudence is essential for personal success. The habit of justice is essential for the creation of a society within which a person can pursue his or her own best interests with the greatest of possibilities. The rule is that you should never want or demand anything for anyone else that you are not perfectly willing to accept for yourself.
The virtue of generosity
The third quality or habit that you must develop is the habit of benevolence. This is one of the hallmark characteristics of the truly superior person. Aristotle referred to it as one of the eight essential virtues, that of “generosity.”
Each person is psychologically and emotionally structured in such a way that they are only truly happy and satisfied when they feel that they are doing something that serves and benefits other people. When you give freely and generously of yourself to others, whether it is to members of your family or to members of the public, you feel more valuable and happier inside. When you dedicate yourself to serving your customers with the very best quality of product or service of which you are capable, not only do you feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction, but you also put yourself on the side of the angels when it comes to personal and business success.
You remember the principle: “The more you give of yourself to others without expectation of return, the more good things there are that will come back to you from the most unexpected sources.”
The regular practice of prudence, justice and benevolence leads naturally to feelings and actions of kindness, compassion and tolerance toward other people. You become more open minded and flexible. You develop greater patience and understanding. You are less judgmental or demanding of others. You become a better and finer person.
Believe in something greater
One of the most important habits you can develop is the habit of faith. Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, it seems that most great people are people of faith, to a high degree.
By faith, we do not mean that you believe in a dogmatic and inflexible set of religious principles or doctrines. Brian Tracy believes that the habit of faith requires that you simply believe that there is a higher power in the universe, and that this power wants the very best for you. “The greater faith you develop; the greater confidence you will have that everything that is happening to you is part of a great plan that is moving you inevitably toward something better.”
Seek for the valuable lesson
When you have faith, you believe that every setback contains a lesson that has been sent to you to help you. Norman Vincent Peale used to say, “When God wants to send you a gift, He wraps it up in a problem. The bigger the problem He wraps it up in, the bigger the gift that it contains.”
Most people are so preoccupied with the problem, difficulty or obstacle that they neglect to look inside of it for the gift that it might contain. “One of the most important habits you can ever develop is an unshakable belief that every problem in your experience has been sent to you at exactly the right moment in your life to teach you something that you need to know to be more successful and happier in the future.”
Napoleon Hill once wrote, “Within every difficulty or obstacle is contained the seed of an equal or greater benefit or advantage.”
The more you search for the benefit or advantage, for the valuable lesson or insight, the more likely it is that you will find it. Sometimes, your whole life will be changed as the result of a lesson you learn from an unexpected reversal of fortune or temporary failure.
Your ability to develop and maintain the habit of faith clears your mind, gives you greater self-confidence and enables you to tune into a higher power that will then guide you to always do and say the right thing at the right time.
Loyalty is essential
The habit of loyalty seems to be a quality of the very best people in our society. Disloyaltyis a major reason for failure in business and the world of work. The decision from the outset that you will be completely loyal to the people who expect and deserve your loyalty enables you to remain clear and focused in the face of short-term successes and reversals.
The habit of loyalty requires that you be absolutely loyal to your company. You never criticise your boss or the people you work with, especially outside the company in the presence of other people. In addition, you purchase and use the products and services of your company, and recommend them proudly to others. “It is amazing how many people work for one company but use the products and services of a competitor. They are then amazed to find that they are seldom if ever promoted to positions of higher responsibility. Their disloyalty disqualifies them from any kind of advancement.”
Never give up
Another quality of character and leadership that seems to be indispensable for great success is the habit of persistence and determination. Napoleon Hill wrote, “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.”
Tracy frequently talks about the Law of Belief, and the fact that your deeply held beliefs become your realities. “You always act in a manner consistent with the way you believe inside, your self-concept.” In his estimation, your level of persistence is the true measure of your belief in yourself, and your ability to succeed.
In interviews with more than 500 successful men and women, the researchers found that they all had one particular belief in common. Each of them absolutely believed that they were destined to be great successes in life. They believed that everything that was happening to them in the short-term was part of a great plan to ultimately make them successful. They held to this belief through every storm of life. It eventually became unshakable. They saw the world in terms of inevitable success and personal greatness. And as a result, their beliefs became true. Each of these great men and women went onto accomplish wonderful things with their lives.
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