Have you ever heard of people saying things like, “He’s such a great person” or children saying “I wanna be like them when I grow up” or others admiring somebody with the words, “She has a great personality”?
Then in that case you’ve probably admired or heard of somebody being admired before.
What makes a person worth admiring? I’m sure most of us would love to be such a person. Some of their traits will be obvious but some of them are a bit more subtle.
Here are 5 traits of an admirable person:
1. They are patient
Patience is truly a virtue. I have found myself on either end of the spectrum, either with unrealistic patience or impulsive anger and I’ve always found that people veering more towards patience were always more admirable. Keep in mind, while patience is a virtue, one needs to also learn how to identify justifiable anger when your boundaries are crossed.
Hence the second trait:
2. They know their boundaries
In other words, they work to understand themselves. Admirable people will know and continuously reflect on their limits and weaknesses, not to the point of depression and an unending cycle of self-flagellation but to understand what is their breaking point. This means that they have their own identity and beliefs firmly in mind. Reflection of these things (and beliefs, foundations etc.) on a regular basis will also help them to see where they can break or go beyond their own means in order to be of service to others.
3. They joyfully serve others
This one is important. While we can’t all be like Jesus in all situations where we serve others to almost servant like standards, admirable people will carry a sense of joy in serving others. Obviously, I don’t mean plastering a bright smile on your face but people who genuinely find joy in being able to help are admirable.
4. They do not seek admiration
An admirable person is never openly seeking for admiration and often continues the praise received on to somebody else as well. I found this an interesting phenomenon in Asian communities in particular since it is in their culture to be humble and not accept praise. Although this is another topic in itself as to the potential consequences of such culture, for the sake of this post, I will highlight the humbleness of an admirable person. They take pride in their work and have that attitude for the work itself rather than the praise it will bring.
And lastly…
5. They carry themselves to the benefit of others
This can also be translated as being considerate or seeking to understand others. We are beings that are influenced by social powers. When we see something – usually the beneficial/positive traits – we will want to emulate them (I’m sure this might be a reason for some of you to read this post). Admirable people know that good traits, such as honesty and kindness to name a few, will affect people positively. They also have a regular relationship with themselves will find it almost a reflex to have a regular relationship with others whom they will seek to understand.
Everybody deserves to be understood, even if their ideas aren’t the same as yours. And everybody deserves to be treated the way they want to be treated even if the favour isn’t returned. It’s setting an example that admirable people understand. There is something higher and greater to achieve towards the benefit of others.
