VIRTUES: the gifts within

Currently reading this great book called the Pace of Grace by Linda Kavelin Popov (thanks Tori). She also worked on the Virtues Project. Check her out at http://www.paceofgrace.net.

The Virtues Project inspires the practice of virtues in everyday life by helping people of all cultures to discover the transformative power of these universal gifts of character. The Virtues are spiritual life-skills that help us to live our best lives.

Acceptance
Embracing life on its own terms. Acceptance allows us to bend without breaking in the face of tests.
Accountability
The willingness to take full responsibility for our choices.
Appreciation
Seeing the good in life. Freely expressing gratitude.
Assertiveness
Telling the truth about what is just, setting clear boundaries.
Awe
Reverence and wonder, deep respect for the source of life.
Beauty
A sense of wonder and reverence for the harmony, colour, and loveliness of the world. Calling on our creativity to add to the beauty in the world.
Caring
Giving tender attention to the people and things that matter to us. Listening with compassion, helping with kindness.
Charity
A giving heart, a generous way of viewing others and caring for their needs.
Cheerfulness
Seeing the bright side, looking for the good in whatever happens.
Cleanliness
Keeping our bodies, our thoughts and our spaces clean. An environment of order and beauty brings peace to our souls.
Commitment
Caring deeply about a person, a goal or a belief. Willingness to give our all and keep our promises.
Compassion
Deep empathy for the suffering of others. Compassion flows freely from the heart when we let go of judgments and seek to understand.
Confidence
A sense of assurance that comes from having faith in ourselves and in life. Confidence allows us to trust that we have the strength to cope with whatever happens.
Consideration
Giving careful thought to the needs of others. Holding a decision in a contemplative and thoughtful way.
Contentment
The awareness of sufficiency, a sense that we have enough and we are enough. Appreciating the simple gifts of life.
Cooperation
Working together for a common goal, calling on the different gifts each of us has to offer.
Courage
Transforms fear into determination. Embracing life fully, without holding back, doing what must be done even when it is difficult or risky.
Courtesy
Treating others with kindness, tact and graciousness.
Creativity
The power of imagination. Being open to inspiration, which ignites our originality.
Decisiveness
Firmness of mind in taking a stand, reaching a conclusion, making a decision. It requires both courage and discernment.
Detachment
Experiencing our feelings without allowing them to control us. Stepping back and thoughtfully choosing how we will act rather than just reacting.
Devotion
Commitment to something we care about deeply. Wholehearted service to our life’s purpose.
Dignity
Honoring the worth of all people, including ourselves and treating everyone with respect.
Diligence
Doing what needs to be done with care, concentration and single-pointed attention, giving our absolute best.
Discernment
Applying the wisdom of our intuition to discover what is essential and true, with contemplative vigilance. Clarity of the soul.
Endurance
Practicing perseverance and patience when obstacles arise hones our character and educates our souls. We welcome all that we are here to learn.
Enthusiasm
Being filled with spirit. Excitement about life and openness to the wonders each day holds. Acting wholeheartedly, with zeal and eagerness, holding nothing back.
Excellence
Giving our best to any task we do and any relationship we have.
Fairness
Seeking justice, giving each person their share, making sure that everyone’s needs are met.
Faith
A relationship of trust. Belief in the reality of Grace.
Faithfulness
Loyalty to our beliefs, regardless of what happens. Being true to the people we love.
Fidelity
Abiding by an agreement, treating it as a sacred covenant. Complete faithfulness in our relationships.
Flexibility
The ability to adapt and change amid the fluctuating circumstances of life. Going with the flow.
Forbearance
Tolerating hardship with good grace. Not allowing the trials of life to steal our joy.
Forgiveness
Overlooking mistakes, and being willing to move forward with a clean slate. Forgiving others frees us from resentment. Forgiving ourselves is part of positive change.
Fortitude
Strength of character. The will to endure no matter what happens, with courage and patience.
Friendliness
A spiritual essential. Reaching out to others with warmth and caring. The willingness to be an intimate companion.
Generosity
Giving fully, sharing freely. Trust that there is plenty for everyone.
Gentleness
Moving wisely, touching softly, speaking quietly and thinking kindly.
Grace
Openness to the bounties of life, trusting that we are held in God’s love through all circumstances. Reflecting gentleness and beauty in the way we act, speak and move.
Gratitude
Freely expressing thankfulness and appreciation to others and for the gifts of life.
Helpfulness
Doing useful things that make a difference to others. Taking time for thoughtfulness.
Honesty
Being truthful, sincere, open, and genuine. The confidence to be ourselves.
Honor
Living with a sense of respect for what we know is right. Living up to the virtues of our character. Keeping our agreements with integrity.
Hope
Looking to the future with trust and faith. Optimism in the face of adversity.
Humanity
Having an attitude of caring and mercy to all people.
Humility
Being open to every lesson life brings, trusting that our mistakes are often our best teachers. Being thankful for our gifts instead of boastful.
Idealism
Caring about what is right and meaningful in life. Daring to have big dreams and then acting as if they are possible.
Independence
Self-reliance. Making our own choices confidently without undue influence from others. Perceiving the truth, with trust in our own discernment.
Initiative
Daring to be original. Using our creativity to bring something new into the world.
Integrity
Standing on moral high ground. Keeping faith with our ideals and our agreements.
Joyfulness
An inner wellspring of peace and happiness. Enjoying the richness of life. Finding humor, even in the midst of hard times.
Justice
Being fair in all we do. Making amends when we have hurt or wronged others. Protecting everyone’s rights, including our own.
Kindness
Showing compassion. Giving tender attention in ways that brings others happiness.
Love
The connection between one heart and another. Attraction, affection and caring for a person, a place, an idea, and for life itself.
Loyalty
Unwavering faithfulness and committment to people and ideas we care about, through good times and bad.
Mercy
Blessing others with our compassion and forgiveness. Extending our tenderness beyond what is just or deserved.
Mindfulness
Living reflectively and meaningfully, with conscious awareness of our actions, our words and our thoughts.
Moderation
Being content with enough. Using self-discipline to create balance in our lives and to keep from overdoing. Healthy stewardship of our time and resources.
Modesty
Self-respect and quiet confidence. Accepting praise with humility and gratitude. A sense of respectful privacy about our bodies.
Nobility
Having high moral standards. Doing the right thing. Keeping faith with our true value as spiritual beings.
Obedience
Following what we know is right. Compliance with the law. Abiding by our deepest integrity and conquering our misplaced passions.
Openness
Willingness to consider new ideas. Listening to others with humility and sincerity. Being receptive to the blessings and surprises of life.
Orderliness
Creating an environment of peace and order. Planning step by step instead of going in circles.
Patience
Waiting peacefully. Quiet hope and faith that things will turn out right.
Peacefulness
Inner calm and tranquility. Giving up the love of power for the power of love. Resolving conflict in a just and gentle way.
Perceptiveness
Clarity of insight. Understanding that is intuitive, discerning and accurate.
Perseverance
Staying the course for however long it takes. Steadfastness and persistence in pursuing our goals.
Prayerfulness
A relationship of faith and gratitude with a power and presence greater than ourselves. A conversation with God.
Purity
A process of freeing ourselves day by day from influences and attachments that keep us from being true to ourselves and to what we know is right. Physical and spiritual cleanliness.
Purposefulness
Awareness of the meaningfulness of our lives. Living by a clear vision and focusing our energy on the goal before us.
Reliability
Being dependable. Being a promise keeper. Taking responsibility with trustworthiness.
Respect
An attitude of honoring oneself and others through our words and actions. Treating every person with dignity and courtesy.
Responsibility
The willingness to be accountable for our choices and also for our mistakes. Taking on what is ours to do with strength and reliability.
Reverence
An awareness of the sacredness of life. Living with wonder and faith. Having a routine of reflection.
Righteousness
Living by a code of spiritual rectitude. Impeccable integrity to what we know is right. Calling ourselves gently back when we go off track.
Sacrifice
The willingness to give up what is important to us for what we know is more important. Giving our all for our beliefs. Making our life a sacred offering.
Self-Discipline
The self control to do only what we truly choose to do, without being blown off course by our desires. Establishing healthy and ennobling habits.
Serenity
Tranquility of spirit, with trust and faith that all will be well. Peacefulness in the midst of trials.
Service
Doing helpful things that make a difference to others. Investing excellence in everything we do. The contribution we make is the fruitage of our lives.
Sincerity
Being open and genuine. Our words and actions reflect a truthful heart.
Steadfastness
Being steady, persevering and dependable. Having the strength to remain true to our purpose in spite of obstacles that arise.
Strength
The inner power to withstand whatever comes. Endurance in the midst of tests.
Tact
Telling the truth kindly. Thinking before we speak, aware of how deeply our words affect others. Discerning what to say, when it is timely to say it, and what is better left unsaid.
Temperance
Moderation in our speech and our appetites. Using self-restraint in the midst of temptation.
Thankfulness
An attitude of gratitude for living, learning, loving and being. Generosity in expressing appreciation. Focusing on the blessings in our lives.
Tolerance
Being open to differences. Refraining from judgments. Patience and forgiveness with others and ourselves. Accepting things that we wish were different with humor and grace.
Trust
Having faith. Positive expectation that all will be well. Having confidence that the right thing will come about without trying to control it or make it happen. Being sure, in the depths of our being, that there is some gift or learning in everything that happens.
Trustworthiness
Being worthy of the trust others place in us. When we give our word, we stand by it. Keeping our agreements faithfully.
Truthfulness
Truth is the bedrock of integrity on which we build all our other virtues. An ongoing commitment to live by what is most real and authentic in our own nature. Honesty in all our dealings.
Understanding
Being insightful in our perceptions of ideas and feelings. Listening with compassion and accuracy to others’ feelings.
Unity
Inclusiveness. Finding common ground in our diversity. Seeking peace in all circumstances.
Uprightness
Following what is right and moral. Standing up for honesty and justice. Living in integrity.
Wisdom
Having a discerning mind, based on experience and mindfulness. Making wise decisions based on our deepest intuition.
Zeal
Fervent enthusiasm for what we believe to be important. Living by a strong sense of the value of life and faith.