NHS Induction - 2010: Character

This is the speech I gave re: character at the 2010 NHS Induction. 

Congratulations on your achievements, which have given you the opportunity to be here tonight among the elite of Pahrump Valley High School.  Congratulations also to the parents and educators that have set the standards for you to rise to in order to become a person of integrity, diligence and character. 

According to Webster, character is defined as the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.  Being here tonight sets the standard, or continues the standard, for your character.  While being inducted into the National Honor Society is an award for your character to this point, it is also an opportunity for you to continue setting standards, loftier goals and continuing on the road to success. 

Ultimately character is defined by a chain of actions/decisions made, that comprise you.  As Shaquille O'Neal said, "Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit.  You are what you repeatedly do." 

Tonight I hope that you are able to reflect on the standards/actions that you have set for yourself.  At days end, have you made all of the right choices?  Do you repeatedly do what represents excellence?  When you stumble, are you able to pick up and carry on with integrity?  More importantly, what are your actions and/or habits when no ones is looking?  When it comes to character it has been said, "Everyone tries to define this thing called 'Character.' It's not hard.  Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking." 

When nobody's looking.  Character is not based on who someone tells you to be, or what your friends and/or classmates think, but instead, it's about knowing what is right and following it.  It's about setting goals and achieving them, for you.  Only through stretching oneself can he/she find true self-worth. 

Tonight, I hope you make a commitment to yourself to make your actions and habits fulfill a life and legacy of excellence.  I hope you take your induction into the National Honor Society as a challenge to be a greater student, role model and person. 

Please always remember,  "Watch your thoughts, for they become words.  Watch your words, for they become actions.  Watch your actions, for they become habits.  Watch your habits, for they become your character.  Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny." 

Congratulations on your accomplishments thus far and for being an example as to what character is and should be.