Character Traits

Recently I was asked to consider my five favorite historical figures. I hurriedly dashed down a few names but stopped at four. I already understood. What makes a person great, memorable, is the qualities that they have and I already saw the common threads.

My four are Louis Pasteur, Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Blackwell and Martin Luther King Jr. What do I admire about each of these individuals? Each of them evidenced courage beyond what an ordinary human is ever expected to have. Each of them were faced with a task that others had deemed impossible. They made a way where there was no way.


Louis Pasteur believed that he could find cures for incurable illnesses. He blazed trails and discovered things that were never before known. He showed courage, determination, and used intelligence to solve mysteries that baffled all of mankind. He was relentless in pursuit of his passion.

Harriet Tubman escaped to the North and became a free woman. Was that enough for her? No, she felt passionately that other slaves deserved to experience this and she risked her life over and over. Her courage and determination when she would have been tortured and killed if found, is awe inspiring. Her passion for what she knew was right coupled with the intelligence to make a way where there was no way made the impossible, reality.

Elizabeth Blackwell wanted to be a doctor. Women were expressly forbidden to enter this field at that time. Did she let that stop her? No sir! She had the courage to pursue a dream that she was passionate about. She endured ridicule and shame but would not give up. She evidenced the intelligence necessary to grasp the material and pass the exams despite the harassment she endured. She holds the honor of being called the first female doctor.

Martin Luther King Jr wasn't satisfied with second class citizen status. He stared in the eyes of the devil and calmly demanded what he felt was right. His courage, his eloquence and his single-minded determination to the cause of equality led to a powerful movement that changed the face of the United States.

What do these men and women have in common? All four have the character traits courage, determination, intelligence and passion. Courage is the ability to embrace your fear. Determination is the will to keep going when you and everyone around you is certain that you've hit a dead end. Intelligence is often misunderstood. Everyone is given the intelligence to fulfill their purpose. Getting As in school isn't how you succeed at the game of life. Finally, passion. In order to channel courage, determination and intelligence into your purpose, you have to be passionate about it. You can read my earlier blog about finding your passion http://childsplaydate.blogspot.com/2011/11/limiting-beliefs.html if you're too stuck in fear to know what it is. I sure was!

Who are your favorite historical figures? What do you admire about them and how can you strive to have those same character traits? Leave me a comment - love to hear what inspires you!