Character Compass

Learning is about facing the unknown, and the unknown can be scary. Being scared does not mean we do not have courage. Being courageous is a choice we make to do or say something even though we may be scared or uncertain. Sometimes it can take a lot of courage to just be your true self. Being courageous in the face of adversity will help you to excel in all you do.

True success is achieved through hard work and dedication over time. Becoming a great sportsman or an expert in your field takes a long time and a lot of hard work, no matter how talented you are. Along the way you will face obstacles and people who doubt your ability to succeed. Commitment is the determination to continue and succeed despite the adversity you will face.

Learning is all about creating new knowledge, within ourselves or in the outside world. We are all naturally gifted with minds that are fantastically creative so that we can learn – always asking questions and trying new things. But to be creative we must accept that sometimes our ideas might not work. Take Courage in the face of failure in order to continue being creative and learning from your mistakes.

As with all the positive parts of our character, compassion is not something we are born with – it is something we learn and can always become better at. Compassion is about being aware of others’ suffering or misfortune and, importantly, trying to do something to help them through it. It is about not judging and being less critical of people, including ourselves. As the Dalai Lama said, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Curiosity is the best friend of creativity. Creativity happens when we get curious. And when curiosity and creativity get together, the best kind of learning happens. Curiosity is about wanting to know why things are the way they are and how things work. Never be too afraid to ask questions, even if you think everyone else already knows the answers (top tip: they don't!). Never stop asking why and you'll never stop learning.

Every one of us can achieve great things on our own by developing all the traits we find in the Character Compass. But to achieve truly extraordinary things, we need to cooperate with others, and we may need to ask others to cooperate with us. Cooperation is all about working together to achieve a goal that we couldn't achieve on our own. But remember that cooperation always involves at least a little bit of personal sacrifice – you may need to give something up in order to achieve something much bigger and better.