Regardless of the time of year, one of my favorite stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge was a wealthy man if you counted his dollars, but his stingy approach to money infiltrated his whole life — leaving him filled with loneliness and despair.

Being appreciative is one of the most powerful habits you can build if it is not something that comes naturally to you. Not only does it help you build relationships with others, but also it helps you build a positive outlook and reduce stress.

Being approachable is all about being friendly and easy to talk to. Why is this important? Because it helps build connections and relationships — which helps build trust and mutual understanding.

Today, we continue our journey through the Tilt 365 Model, as we move to the Humanity quadrant. We just finished Weekly Challenges related to the character traits that are a part of the three Wisdom quadrant character strengths: Perspective, Focus, and Diligence.

Being conscientious is more than being punctual and following up on tasks. It is a desire to do a job well, to do what is “right”… literally, it is acting according to your conscience. Being conscientious means living up to commitments you make and choosing the right way versus the easy way.

Last week, the Tilt character trait topic was disciplined, which is closely related to being consistent. You can’t be disciplined without being consistent in your choices.

Being disciplined is having the self-control to do whatever will get you closer to your goals, even though there is the temptation to do something that feels better now.

“Discerning” is one of those words that has several nuances. A discerning eye or ear implies a certain level of sophistication. Discerning one’s calling implies listening and detecting a path based on a spiritual or inner compass.

Many years ago, I remember being in a particularly rough patch with my first job. We were working crazy hours and my supervisor was operating from a protective mindset. I was offered another job with a spin off company, but something didn’t quite “feel” right.