SS Blog Challenge #27 - Character Traits

Compliments of my friend, Traci...
I've come to realize that I spend too much time being my own critic. I can easily pick out my own flaws. I don't think I'm alone in this habit, I believe that we all have this same tendency.

My challenge to you is this: Tell me what your own favorite character trait/ability is. Tell me all about it and how you affect others through it. If you honestly can't pick out your own strengths then I'll give you an easy way out. Just ask the 3 people closest to you to pick one for you. Then blog about those. I'll even give you permission to quote them. I'm sure that you'll find out that you can love what they love about you...

See you in blogworld!

This was a tough challenge for me. Like Traci, I often pick out all my flaws very quickly. I could blog about those for weeks, actually. I also have a hard time giving myself a compliment, which made this challenge difficult.

So, after two days thinking about this, I'm finally ready to blog it. I think my best character trait is determination. One of the definitions of determination on dictionary.com is "a fixed purpose or intention". I feel like that applies to my life in so many ways, and it's one of the few things I really feel like I'm good at. (Not saying I'm only good at a few--just that this is one of the few I give myself credit for.)

I have always been determined to succeed. In life, in school, in athletic competition, in my career, with my family, etc. I am determined to succeed in life, and even though I've had a lot of ups and downs the last two years, I have remained focus on that goal. I have held that determination close to my heart so many times--knowing that I have to persevere through the hard times for the sake of my children.

When DH lost his job, I was determined to do whatever I could for my family and keep my kids' life normal. I did such a good job that they didn't even know he was out of work until he moved out. But even then, I used that same determination to make their lives as normal as I could. They ran me ragged, but they still did great at school while participating in soccer, basketball, baseball, dance and gymnastics--because I was determined not to change their lives more by pulling them out of activities they had already been involved in.

When I was going through radiation, I was determined to get through it. Yes, it was hard, and I had HUGE internal struggles of whether or not I could really do it. But I did it. I'm stronger and wiser now because of it.

Determination is probably the only word I would use to describe how I survived the last two years. Well, also the word Faith, but I wasn't sure if that was a character trait or not. If so, I should have blogged about that because my Faith is the most paramount thing in my life. :)