Definitions: (1) possessing physical or mental attributes required for performance or accomplishment; intelligent; (2) able to understand or to receive into the mind; a capacious mind

Synonyms: clever, competent, efficient, gifted, skillful, suitable

Quotes:
• Human beings are capable of making an everlasting self-identification with total and indestructible universe reality. (116:7.5) — The Urantia Book {1955}
• If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life. — Abraham Harold Maslow (1908-1970) American psychologist

Tip: Assess your capabilities. Start with your natural physical endowments. Exercise and expand those to work in your favor. You have emotional, mental, and spiritual strengths as well; some are innate talents and others have been developed by the circumstances you have lived.

Definitions: (1) experienced; expert; (2) having a quiet and gentle disposition; (3) easy; comfortable; (4) cautious; prudent; wary; watchful; careful; (5) skilled in magic; (6) clever, shrewd; (7) thinking quickly; acting with measured response

Balancing Qualities: Friendly, Honest, Wise

Compatible Qualities: cagey, cerebral, cunning

Quotes:
• Love is space and time measured by the heart. — Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (1871–1922) French novelist & critic
• The insights given by a great professor are a privilege to receive. To be a teacher, by contrast, calls for more ingenuity and patience; it is the canny art of coaxing insights out of the students themselves. — Caitlin Keiper (~1980’s-) American teacher

Definitions: (1) sincerely honest; open; frank; (2) disposed to think without prejudice; free from bias; impartial

Derivation: Sanskrit, “it shines;” Latin, “bright;” Welsh, “white”

Synonym: candor

Balancing Quality: Tactful

Quote: To be candid, some people have given positive thinking a bad name. I can’t stand to hear some gung-ho individual say that with positive thinking you can just do ‘anything.’ If you think about that one for a moment, you recognize the absurdity of it. — Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar (1926-2021) American motivational speaker

Comment: A child takes things at face value. They are naturally candid. An adult who takes things at face value can often be gullible.

Definitions: (1) free from agitation, excitement, or disturbance <a calm demeanor>; at rest; (2) in possession of a quiet psyche; tranquil

Synonyms: peaceful, placid, phlegmatic, placid, serene, still-minded, stolid

Saying: Aequam servare mentem (Latin): “preserve a calm mind”

Idiom: Calm, cool, and collected

Quote: True love is not a strong, fiery, impetuous passion. It is, on the contrary, an element calm and deep. It looks beyond mere externals, and is attracted by qualities alone. It is wise and discriminating, and its devotion is real and abiding. — Ellen Gould White (1827–1915) American co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Comment:  Seek a set of qualities which will result in a balanced and symmetrical personality. Try to be just but nonetheless fair; firm but not obstinate; calm but not to the point of being indifferent; helpfully sympathetic but never meddlesome or dictatorial; strong but at the same time gentle; courageous but never rash or foolhardy; humorous and playful, but only when appropriate.

Definitions: (1) the ability to see what is coming and act accordingly; practical foresight; (2) clever; cunning; shrewd, wary

Balancing Qualities: Diplomatic, Sensitive, Thoughtful

Quote: Skate to the where the puck is going to be. — Wayne Douglas Gretzky (1961-) Canadian ice hockey player

Consideration: If you are right about something really important the only reason to be cagey about it is the way you lay that truth gently upon the sensibilities of the listener(s).

Comment: Always plan to tell the truth. Nonetheless, being tactful about how much you should expose is only wise. “No comment,” “I don’t know,” “That is not for me to say,” and the like, are perfectly valid responses.

Definitions: (1) encouraging or invigorating the spirit of the people around you; (2) showing a cheerful or lighthearted outlook; (3) the ability to recover quickly from depression or discouragement; resilient

Derivation: Spanish; “to float”

Synonyms: hopeful, joyous, lively, spirited, sprightly, vivacious

Balancing Qualities: Down-to-earth, Observant

Quote: It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer. — Orison Swett Marden (1848–1924) American inspirational author

Symbol: a boat

Definition: expressing joy, delight, or exultation in an irrepressible manner; effervescent; enthusiastic

Quotes:
• Laughter is a bubbly, effervescent form of holiness — Anne Lamott (1954-) American writer
• Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening. — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894) American polymath [six disciplines]

Definitions: (1) like or befitting a sibling; affectionate; kind; (2) having a good relationship with or among men; fraternal; loyal

Familial Quality: sisterly

Quotes:
• Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. — Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) Lebanese-American writer & poet
• I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother and I found all three. — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) American peacemaker

Comment: “The brotherhood of man” denotes all people but may not sound like it to our modern ears. I am aware of the problem with our language, i.e., “We are all sons of God the Father.” Certainly, by now, we all realize God is not a male or female entity. Nonetheless, it does need to be said: God is Goodness; and God, in any language and by any name, is one – The God.

Definitions: (1) accepting of various views; liberal; (2) inclined to tolerate, or even condone, departures from conventional behavior; (3) open-minded to the many ways of thinking

Quote: Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them. If you allow yourself to be somewhat curious – and if you get into the habit of doing that – it’s the first step to being open minded and realizing that your points of view aren’t totally opposite. ― Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. (1958-) American actor

Comment: The ideal of being broad-minded may not mean you can understand everyone, but you will find out there are many ways to think.

Definitions: (1) distinguished by unusual mental keenness or alertness; very able; talented; (2) splendid; remarkable; illustrious; outstanding; spectacular

Compatible Qualities: clarity, humility, plainspoken

Quotes:
• All of us, at some point in life, get brilliant ideas…only a few of us have the courage to take the next step. ― Manoj Arora (1973-) Indian financial advisor
• The truth of faith is a slender, glowing element that runs through even the seemingly ordinary and undramatic moments of existence. Even at low intensity, it is a steady source of illumination. Such religious truth is powerful even when it seems faint, even when it seems obscured by the larger events of history. ― Eugene Cullen Kennedy (1928–2015) American writer & professor

Comment: Any dullard can (and does) find fault and point out problems. It takes real heart and genuine brilliance to come up with workable solutions.