Have you ever wondered about what qualities make a person humane? What are the traits of a good human being?
What transforms a person from evil to good? All our life we meet people, strikingly different from one another. Even siblings belonging to the same parent differ in their character and qualities.
Generally, people can be classified into good and evil. The good are respected and admired. While the evil ones are abhorred and avoided.
Although every individual is different from the next, there are certain common traits present in any good human being. Today we will be talking about the 10 good qualities of a person that can transform you from an ordinary individual to an ideal human.
Also, the type of mindset required for being a person of substance and tips to aid you in that process will also be discussed. So, without further ado let’s get into the details.
10 good qualities of a person
Mentioned below are those 10 traits that will not only be beneficial for you in the long run but also, you will be an inspiration for others.
1- Honesty
In the words of Shakespeare,
‘No legacy is as rich as honesty.’
Honesty as you may know is the ability to speak truthfully, openly, and sincerely in every walk of life. It is the power of staying true to yourself without sugarcoating or deceiving anything or anyone. Honesty also means that you say what you mean and feel. It demands courage and integrity of character. Among the highly desirable traits within an individual whether in platonic, professional, or romantic relationships, honesty stays on top.
It is one of those few good qualities of a person without which every other quality is meaningless and worthless. Coming to the importance of honesty, it is that quality that forms the foundations of any relationship. In the absence of it, a relationship would not work nor sustain. Not only does it strengthens the foundations of any relationship it is also essential, to be honest with yourself on a personal level.
Being honest to yourself means that you stay true to yourself. You know your morals and your boundaries. You know what you truly want, what inspires you, and what you loathe. It plays a major role when you have to interact with toxic or controlling people. Honesty towards yourself will enable you to cut the drama short and choose peace because you know what you are worth.
Among the many benefits of honesty, one truly commendable is stronger relationships. Honest people are trusted by others for who they are not who they try to be. It increases your mental and physical wellness i.e. lesser colds, fatigue, or anxiety. Above all, it adds to your confidence and lowers the stress of remembering your previous lies. As Abraham Lincoln said it aptly,
‘No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.’
2- Empathy
Human beings though humane are quite apt at inflicting pain and cruelty on others. This cruelty in attitude can be verbal or physical in nature. It can range from showing indifference to being outrightly hostile towards other people’s words, feelings or actions. This inhumane treatment towards others bores nothing but callousness and bitterness.
This is where empathy comes into play. As it is the ability to understand what the other person feels and experiences. Being empathetic is the ability to be understanding and show concern towards others.
It requires you to awake your inner consciousness. The ability to understand what others feel, look from their perspective, and feel what they are feeling though easier said is quite difficult to do. It requires you to walk a mile in others’ shoes to say so.
Though our world is full of kind, philanthropic, and humble people today it also consists of hostile and cruel individuals. People who are well aware of their personal feelings and attuned to them. However, for moving ahead in this unfriendly world you need to interact and connect with people in personal and professional setups.
Here, empathy would allow you to interact and build social connections with others. Empathizing with others will also help you to regulate your own emotions and deal with them effectively in times of distress. Also, empathy promotes helping behaviors according to research. Not only will you want to help those going through emotional distress but also other people will console you when going through turbulent times in life.
Therefore, the ability to understand other person’s feelings, emotions, and actions is essential if you aim for success in life. It is one of those few good qualities of a person that though beneficial to you is quite rare to find these days.
3- Passionate
‘Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.’— Aristotle
Work is a part of every human’s life. It is compulsory to do some kind of work to sustain a living. As work demands consistent effort and continuous hard dedication it is important that you enjoy it too. This is where passion has a significant role to play
Passion gives meaning to your life. It is a feeling of intense desire. It sparks enthusiasm within you. Work done with passion seems less like work and more like an activity that you enjoy while doing.
The importance of passion stems from the fact that you cannot achieve anything great in life unless you are passionate about your work. It is also incredibly important for your happiness.
For instance, if you do something just for the sake of doing it, you will eventually get tired of doing the same job over and over again. However, in the presence of passion, you will be more focused on your goals and enjoy every moment while striving closer toward them.
Passion helps reignite the enthusiasm within you. It keeps you going no matter how hopeless the situation seems. It keeps your fears, concerns, and worries at bay while directing your attention towards accomplishing your dreams. Passion also helps you find the commonalities between people, thus it fosters social relations.
So, passion is important if you want to live a truly satisfied and blissful life. Love what you do and never compromise on the quality. Instead, strive to achieve greater. If there is one thing that is common in any successful entrepreneur from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg, it undoubtedly is a passion for their work.
Related- How to discover your passion. Tried & Tested Ways
4- Good qualities of a person- Optimism
Do you want to know a secret about successful people who despite failing repeatedly manage to sail their ship? Well, who would not though! One of the good qualities of a person who manages to make it through tough times would be optimism. It is the power of optimism that though underrated enables you to see the silver lining amid dark clouds of uncertainty.
If you want to inculcate any good quality in yourself then try keeping optimism at the top of the list. Optimism will not only help you pass the crisis but also strengthen you to push harder the next time. High optimism makes you put in greater effort and thus achieve greater success.
It is an essential component in life because life is full of ups and downs. It is never a smooth road but rather filled with bumps and holes. Amid all the uncertainty that life puts you in it is essential that you focus on the brighter side of it rather than the negative one.
Also, a study examining Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being reveal that optimistic people experience a higher quality of life. Not only this but, an optimistic mindset enhances your problem-solving capacity. It improves your mental and physical well-being by promoting flexibility and modifying your cognitive responses.
Therefore, if you want to increase your capacity and add good qualities to yourself then you should practice optimism. In the end, it is your mindset that makes a situation good or worse. Train it in a way that focuses more on the positives rather than on the negatives.
Related- How to Stay Optimistic – 7 Ways to Stay Positive in Tough Times
5- Gratitude
Life is a long and unpredictable journey as we know it. It comes loaded with highs and ups. It bestows you with countless blessings at one point. While at other times it becomes unbearably harsh. Amid the setbacks and challenges that it throws at you, it is essential that you look forward by appreciating what you have.
By recognizing your blessings and accomplishments rather than focusing on what you don’t have. Only gratitude helps us foster such an attitude.
Gratitude according to Harvard Medical School, is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.’ It is an attitude of appreciating whatever you have no matter how little it is. The importance of gratitude can be gauged from the fact that it fosters a sense of contentment within you. A grateful mind is less irritated and annoyed with life than an ungrateful one.
Additionally, studies reveal that gratitude is linked with greater happiness. Let me tell you how. Every day you wake up with new zeal and zest aiming at achieving certain tasks. Some of them are accomplished while others might not be. You plan something else while the next day goes completely opposite of what you thought.
For instance, if you plan on having a dinner date with your partner but your partner is stuck at work and unable to come. So, what do you do then? Would be bashing him for being late and not living up to his words? No, you would think about the time when you couldn’t fulfill your commitments but your partner totally understood your situation. You would think about the times when your partner reached on time while surprising you with a bunch of roses.
So, be grateful in life to cut short any unnecessary drama.
6- Good qualities of a person- Humility
Coming to the most underrated virtue these days is Humility. Humility is the act of thinking low of oneself and one’s achievements. It is a feeling that you are not more important than anyone else based on who you are or what you have accomplished. At this point, you might have pictured a humble person as a doormat. However, it is also knowing that you are no less important than anyone else too.
Humility thereof is an important virtue among the list of good qualities of a person. In life, you’ll always be better than someone but less than someone else. Some will always be ahead of you while others will be behind you. So, would you be boastful of your achievements and arrogant about your success? Or, would you act like a doormat and let toxic people walk all over you? No, you have to stand your ground.
You have to understand that you as a human being are as important as someone having authority. In addition, you should understand that people less fortunate than you are also equally important regardless of what they have or don’t.
Humility in fact boils down to recognizing the basic human right of every individual i.e. equality. Practicing it is however not that easy. If you want to be humble in life then you need to understand that you will not always be right.
In essence, you need to accept all your strengths with your limitations. Also, you should be open and non-judgmental towards others. In reality humility, these days are only found in the lower classes of society. As soon as you reach the higher ladder you indulge in pride and arrogance though unconsciously. But, you need to practice humility to be truly successful in life.
7- Generous
Imagine sitting alone, cutting your birthday cake while having no one to celebrate and share it with. Imagine going for a vacation to a beautiful city but having no company around to share your adventures with. How do you feel? Lonely right? Even if you had ever fantasized about such kind of independence and freedom, the happiness that comes from it never lasts long.
Even if you wish to live a life designed around you, being selfish about your needs and wants, it will get lonesome at a certain point. As happiness comes from sharing. It comes from being generous towards other people.
Though generosity is the act of being selfless, it is selfishly in your own interest. Generous people are more likely to spend a happy and healthy life according to studies. Also, research that generosity helps you feel better about yourself.
If I were to make a list of qualities of a good human being, generosity would surely be on top. For me, a good human being understands that the material wealth and possessions accumulated do not value a penny if you have no one to share belongings with. It is the power of sharing that fosters caring and strengthens your social connections.
Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that you don’t have to go that extra mile always to prove that you are generous. Rather, giving a shoulder to a depressed person in time of need. Or, sharing your food with an unfortunate person is also a sign of generosity. Remember it is the little things that always matter.
8- Courage
Everyone has their fears and insecurities in life. Some manage to get over them while others don’t have the courage to overcome them. Good people though having a positive front and optimistic view of life too have some fears deep down. However, it is courage that helps them stand their ground and fight their fears despite the world saying otherwise.
Courage is the act of fighting your fears and overcoming your insecurities. Courage demands you to stand and speak up for things that matter the most to you. It is an act of being true to your values. In the words of Nelson Mandela,
‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Being courageous in life is important if you want to accomplish your dreams. As we live in a society filled with dos and don’ts it is courage that helps us achieve our dreams even if society renders us a complete failure. Acting courageously also helps you feel good about yourself, as it helps in mastering emotions of fear and cowardice.
Contrary to popular belief courage is not rushing into something blindly, but it is about taking calculated risks in life. Also, courage always doesn’t imply standing for yourself and the people that matter. However, it also means that you sit and listen to what others propose with an open heart and mind.
‘Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen’ – Winston Churchill
Related- How To Become Strong | 6 Powerful Habits To Be A Strong Human
9- Good qualities of a person- Self-esteem
Self-esteem is an important virtue to possess for living a successful life. It is a feeling of knowing your own worth and value. Self-esteem helps you recognize your strengths and weaknesses. It also has a major say in the motivation you feel and the success that flows from it. As people with positive self-esteem of themselves are more likely to overcome challenges because they recognize their true potential.
Fortunately, a good human being not only recognizes other people’s values but also knows their own worth. Self-esteem is one of the good qualities of a person that stops you from being a doormat. It enables you to raise your voice not only for yourself but also for others because you realize that you can help those having negative self-esteem of themselves.
So, to live a successful life it is important that you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses. You should be aware of what are your positive strengths. What are your weaknesses? Focusing on the positives while working on your negatives can transform your life from where you are to where you want to be.
Related- Why Self-Esteem is Important in Life – 5 Ways to Improve Self-Esteem
10- Forgiving
Do you want to move forward with a positive spirit? Do you want to get rid of all the negative emotions of revenge and bitterness? Is the anger and hurt that you hold within making you bitter on the exterior? If yes, then start forgiving people if they don’t apologize to you. Forgiveness is an important aspect of life and a good human being is truly aware of the power of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the act of pardoning a person who caused any harm to you whether emotionally or physically. It does not mean forgetting anything or condoning an act. In simpler words, it is just the act of freeing your mind of the extra burden of vengeance or resentment. Though the world these days has become more stubborn and arrogant, practicing forgiveness is beneficial for your own mental well-being.
Not only forgiving others but forgiving yourself for your shortcomings and weaknesses is essential. We often tend to be our worst critics to the point that we think we don’t deserve any happiness in life. However, humans are the epitome of mistakes and how can you learn the right way if you don’t experience the wrongs once?
So, practice forgiveness not only to others but also to yourself. The anger and resentment that you hold within will only inflict pain on you and no one else!
Conclusion;
Being a good human being is not hard but it sure does require a lot of effort. By practicing the virtues and good qualities listed above you will not only transform into an ideal human being but also live an ideal life. Always remember that patience is the key!
