My journey of awakening to my true self started early at the age of 9 when I started asking the biggest questions of life. However, this quest did not turn into an inner journey of self-transformation until life shook me with some tough lessons.

I learned then that knowledge without any effort to know myself and spirituality without inner reflection and inner transformation were not helpful.

Then I thought about the habits and virtues a successful person should possess. Which personality traits would s/he exhibit? How would s/he act in many situations I fail to react successfully? How would I describe such a person of wisdom?

Yeah. Immediately understood that it was nothing but wisdom that makes a person shine like a northern star. I had to understand what made such people successful and attractive.

It was about developing a list of virtues you would exhibit in life in every creation with anyone in every breath.

As an eager engineer with an almost drive to succeed, I pulled together a list of virtues to use as a guide. No one had shared such a valuable list of virtues in my life, nor did I have the chance to learn them first-hand from anyone in my life.

I had learned the virtues of justice, objectivity, freedom, righteousness from my father, who was a manager in a global company. My mom had taught me the virtues of faith, righteousness, compassion, and more.

However, such a complete list of virtues was something I have never witnessed in anyone that came across my life.

Consequently, I started reading every day for at least two hours. There was a time when I was reading up to three books a week. Not only was I learning a lot of new ideas, best practices, and concepts, but I was also expanding my list of virtues. I read many biographies of highly successful people in life and ancient philosophers, kings on rulers, prophets, and gurus.

As I read more and more, many things started to make more sense, and I saw a list of overlapping virtues. In this long list of virtues, some were more prominent, as I called them the cardinal virtues.

I guess I had enough explanation about myself and my journey of creating such a list of your shoes. Please note that we, humans, are such complex organic and spiritual mechanisms that the list below shouldn’t be considered a final list but only the atrium that leads to an endless hall or virtues.

Here we go then.

Discernment, humility, temperance, balance, harmony, faith, hope, courage, enthusiasm, patience, calm mind, humanity, unconditionalness, goodness, righteousness, beauty, justice, elegance, adaptability, decency, sincerity, generosity, forgiveness, keeping promises, being principled, acceptance, tolerance, trust, equality, diligence, frugality, conviction, humility, determination, vision, fortitude, perseverance, silence, tolerance to trouble, ability to receive criticism, empathy, altruism, renunciation, service, humor, sociability, catering, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-knowledge, bravery, sublime volunteering, holism, inclusiveness, all-embracingness, unifying, heroism, self-control, sense of duty, stability, prudence, optimism, helpfulness , tirelessness, faithfulness, conscience, compliance, vigilance, friendliness, devotion, speaking beautifully, equanimity, observant, active listening, humility, perseverance, self-awareness, respect, discipline, purity, attention, taking action, effort, exemplary, role-model, simplicity, lean, joy, gratitude, bravery, compassion, understanding, empathy, diligence, reasoning, managing conflict without dispute, prudence, charisma, winning together, guiding, teaching, sharing with others, honor, calmness, calmness, self-observation, emotional fortitude, willpower, self-awareness, being able to change oneself, being coachable, leading others, power, self-promotion, analysis, craftsmanship, originality, freedom, authority, self-expression, problem solving, involvement, open communication, objectivity, ability to manifest, clarity, precision, wisdom, freedom of mind, appreciate, encourage, support, obedience, correct timing, planning, strategy, action, flexibility, standing upright against the oppressors, drawing clear lines, devotion, asking strong QUESTIONS, practicality, researching, searching after truth, knowing how and when to give up and let go, not competing with anyone other than yourself, storytelling, modernity, amazement, learning mind, majesty, curiosity, pacifism, intellectual, cleanliness, consent, activity, efficiency, merit, intelligence, self-contented intention, problem solving, idea-generating, multidimensionality, prudence, calm, submission, charm, spiritual, communicative, strength of character, power, legacy, appreciation, generosity, good-natured, dignity, fairness, wisdom, flexibility, keeping secret, moderation, being in harmony with the universe, being in harmony with nature, living in harmony with life.

I strongly advise and recommend a quick practice that’ll boost your spiritual journey of inner transformation.

1. First, read the list carefully and contemplate each virtue.
2. Second, make sure you understand the meaning of every virtue in the list. Otherwise, you cannot get the best out of it.
3. Third, check the ones that you process every day in your life. Rate them from 1 to 5, where one is most likely and five for the least likely virtue you exhibit.
4. Fourth, come up with a list of the top 10 virtues you choose you want to possess and improve in your life. You may ask if you will choose the top 10 virtues among a list of many others. Think about the pains in your life and the areas that you suffered the most. Which virtues would have helped you the most and act as a cure in these situations? These are the ones that you have to concentrate on the most.
5. Last, develop an action plan for each variety that you are aiming to improve in your life.

I hope the list above and quick practice build shed light on your unknown corners and undiscovered halls of your personality.

With love,

Kenan