Lesson 1: Virtue- The excellence of perfection

"Those who excel in virtue have the best right of all to rebel, but then they are of all men least inclined to do so." ~Aristotle

Strive to be a better person. Every minute of every day you must pursue the qualities within yourself that make you proud. Qualities that allow you to look in the mirror and say, "I love me." No one is expected to be perfect, but it is possible to be so. It is the ever-going struggle to do the right thing in every moment; if you don't like something about yourself, change it. You have the power within you to reinvent yourself. You can say, "Today I won't do that," or "Today I will do this." Virtue is a choice. You choose the way people see you, but more importantly, how you see yourself.





Lesson 2: Honesty- Communicating and acting truthfully.

"Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus, goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained." ~Loa Tzu

Sadly the world is chock full of liars. They use many reasons why they do so; from the standard "little white lie" to out right perjury. The difference is none. A lie is still a lie. There is never a reason for you to lie, other than to deceive, and deception on any level is wrong. Some will tell you, "Sometimes it is necessary to lie." No, it is not. You do have the option of not answering.

People lie strictly for their own gain and only to put themselves at ease. They don't think about who they hurt. In the end, they only hurt themselves. The truth always comes out; eventually. If someone lies once everything they say is questionable.

Always be true, trustworthy. The truth may not always be popular, but the popular thing is not always the right one.





Lesson 3: Motivation- Thought that leads to an action.

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their talents." ~Andrew Carnegie

Take those great ideas you've been kicking around in your mind and put them in the physical world. Want to write a book, write it. Want to learn how to fly, take a few flying classes. Start taking the required steps to achieve your goals.

The key is constant progression; a long-term goal seems far off and almost unreachable. Short-term goals appear to be more tangible, more immediate.

Break your long-term goals into short quick sections. For example if you are writing a book, instead of trying to write it all at once just write a chapter a day or just a paragraph. Eventually you will have your book.

A penny a day will one day become a dollar.





Lesson 4: Self-observation- Knowledge of ones self.

"Observe all men, thyself most." ~Benjamin Franklin

"The wise know that they know nothing."

"To be truly wise you must know yourself." Your "self" is the only thing you can completely ever know. Listen to your heart, your mind, your 'voice' and constantly ask yourself, "Why did I say or do that?"

"Why do I feel this way?" Your inner voice will answer you, listen to it and in doing so you will find yourself and thus find that the world is not much different from you. Study yourself harder than you have ever studied anything else. Study your thoughts, your actions, your feelings to unlock true knowledge, the knowledge of ones self.





Lesson 5: Compassion- To reduce the suffering of others.

"Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation." ~Henry Ward Beecher

I have found that people mainly just want someone to listen to them. You feel so much better just having someone hear what's on your mind. You'll find that if you simply listen to people, it will take away a lot of their stress. Most of the time they will answer their own question and solve their own problem. In letting someone talk to you, you give them a chance to be heard. Try not to comment unless asked to. Once someone tells their side of things they feel relieved. You may not fully understand their situation but in allowing them the chance to explore it, maybe you can get more insight.