Your top 3 human qualities - what are you admired for?

Inner human qualities.  Some we are born with, others we need to work on developing.

I have facilitated a number of group sessions recently where we have brainstormed the human qualities we value most in others - it's easy to identify what we like and dislike in others!  There are hundreds of qualities I have written in whiteboard marker, but the top 10 consistently raised, and that encompass many traits, would be:
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Integrity - authentic; genuine; honest; says what they mean; means what they say; communicates transparently; no manipulation; lives according to strong personal values.

Empathy - kind; caring; considerate; appreciative; compassionate; other-focused; self-aware.

Communication - speaks clearly; gives eye contact; addresses people by name; listens - genuinely listens, focused on the other; exudes dignity, self respect and other respect in their words, tone and body language.  

Accountability - responsibility taken for own thoughts/feelings/actions; no blaming; no self-victim mentality; no victimising others.  

Respectful - speaks/behaves respectfully to all people; sees human value in all people; can disagree with others without isolating them; no aggression, intimidation, attacking or bullying; gives respect and thus earns respect from others.  

Inner strength - determination; resilience; persistence; sets goals; plans; is intentional in their approach to life and relationships; doesn't fall "victim" to and does not allow circumstances beyond their control, to control their own thoughts/feelings/behaviour ie. mood is not dictated by the weather or other people's behaviour.  

Humility - open minded; accepts feedback; admits mistakes; has insight; is self-aware. 

Work ethic - consistency; reliability; personal accountability/pride; honesty; performs because of inner drive, not drive to impress others.  

Flexibility - willing to learn, grow and adapt in many situations; expects to learn from others; realises every individual has personal expertise to offer.    

Approachable - calm, non-judgemental, understanding, other-focused.


There could be other qualities not listed here that you were born with or are working on - like comedic talent/funniness/ability to make others laugh (my husband particularly excels in this area!)  Laughter is such a valuable human experience, so what a skill to be able to illicit it in others!  Personally I'm working on inspiration, that's another human quality not mentioned above.  The ability to inspire others is a trait of the most successful  leaders in our history, those who have stood for what they believed in and inspired others in doing so - I want to inspire for good, not evil.  

You may have noticed that self-awareness, empathy, flexible thinking, self regulation, personal motivation and social skills are traits that weave in and out all of the top 10, and each could be applied to more than one of those top 10 categories.  These are the traits of emotional intelligence (EQ) and working on developing these traits will stand you in very good stead - to live a contented and relational life.  

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