When our two kids were very young I started a bedtime routine. We called it “Gratitudes & Affirmations”. Gratitudes were just that, simple statement of appreciation of what they had: sheets on their bed, food on the table, love in their lives, etc. I challenged them to be very specific. I want to understand what they were grateful for and, in so doing, I wanted the other to hear what was said. Inevitably, and most importantly, each heard their own gratitude. We had fun with it. Affirmations came right after, and they had a script, “I’m the kind of person who’s kind, curious, and creative.” These were the first three “C’s”. Realizing there was some alliteration going on, I added compassion, courage, celebrate, connection, and others over time. Soon I had a dozen, then 20, then 30, then, without going through the whole C word list, I decided to stop at 40. Now that both kids are in their early 20’s, I refer to the C’s. Yes, they roll their eyes and make fun of me; and, in line with one of the C’s, “Comedy”, I laugh along with them. I never envisioned this simple idea being on a website one day or a concept I talk about publicly. Even so, I’m glad we did it. I like to think it contributed to helping them (and me) form good habits around gratitude and the power of intention.
Well, that’s the story, so thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoy the list, and hope you find it helpful. Of course, I encourage you to take the following as-is or create something on your own. Whatever you choose to do as a parent, coach, leader, or partner, I do hope that you guide yourself and others with compassionate curiosity, ongoing gratitude, and noble intention. To makin’ great things happen!
Kindness
Be kind. Start and end with kindness. (I know it’s a “k” but it’s a hard “c”)
Curiosity
Growth mindset. Compassionate curiosity. Beginners mind. Show up as a learner, not as a “knower”.
Creativity
The opposite of a victim is a creator. Be resourceful. Problem solve. Find the way forward.
Compassion
Empathize. Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Be conscious of your wake — how you make others feel.
Courage
Self-worth and confidence is on the other side of comfort. Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Celebrate
Celebrate yourself and celebrate others. We do very little alone. Celebrate openly, frequently, and earnestly.
Connection
Connect with oneself, nature, others.
Contribution
We’re here to serve. How are you contributing today to your own goals and on the commitments you’ve made to others.
Consciousness
Be aware. Be awake. Hell yeah be “woke”. Live consciously. Always know where you are and what you’re doing.
Caring
Don’t be half-ass anything. Whether it be helping another or trying something, care. Give your best effort and energy.
Cause
For the sake of what? What’s your purpose? Why do you do what you do?
Calm
Breathe. Calm mind, heart, body, and soul will enable you to be fully present and act with compassion and wisdom.
Character
How do you talk about yourself? How do loved ones and those you respect talk about you? Stay in integrity with yourself.
Commitment / Conviction
Freakin’ go for it! Believe in yourself and others, focus, and go make great things happen.
Consistent
Stackin’ days. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. Celebrate the grind.
Confidence
Authentic, earned feelings of self-worth. Reach through the crown of your head and breathe easy. Your presence is a miracle.
Compete
Strive with. Celebrate opponents as they help you grow and make you stronger.
Coachable
Be open to others perspectives and ideas. Know also when to trust yourself and your own ways of doing things.
Contemplate
Focus. Create space to ponder a certain topic, assess how you feel, explore ideas, and make decisions.
Cooperate
Be somebody others want to work with. Help make it easy for others. Remove friction. Act with grace and ease.
Collaborate
Master the art of co-creation. Share ideas and be open to them evolving. Also, help evolve the ideas of others.
Coordinate
Orchestrate people, processes, and technologies in conscious ways to achieve certain outcomes.
Compose
Design thinking. Enjoy the process. Focus on the “how” and orchestrate something beautiful!
Complete
Finish what you start. Or, consciously make a decision to stop. Keep promises to yourself and others.
Candescent
You are a light. You’re meant to shine. Therefore, shine!
Comedy
Laugh at yourself and life’s absurdities. Life is to be enjoyed. Smile. And create space for others to smile and laugh too.
Capability
What skills do you have and what others are you developing?
Capacity
We’re all constrained by time. Be aware of your physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual capacity.
Costs / Consequences
Most everything has cost and consequences: money, time, energy, and otherwise. Be conscious of this and choose wisely.
Constancy
Being dependable. Trustworthy. You know who you are and you stay in integrity with yourself.
Civil
Stay aware of injustices and inequities in the world and work to remedy them however you can.
Citizenship
You are part of a social system. Get involved in that system and continually work to improve it.
Charity
Give of your time, money, and/ore energy to noble causes with no expectation of return.
Control
Understand what you can control (e.g., your breathing) and what you cannot, and act accordingly.
Custodian
Everything is ephemeral. You’re take care of your home, community, and planet for future generations to enjoy.
Considerate
Be proactively and positively thoughtful about others and take action on those thoughts. Make someone’s day.
Candor
Be openly honest with yourself and others. There’s no value in hiding the truth, particularly from that person in the mirror.
Celestial
Move through your days knowing, as a matter of fact, that we are on a planet floating in space, and that we are all one.
Contentment
Being at Peace is ok. It’s good. It’s healthy. You don’t have to be doing things all the time. Smile in gratitude.
C’s that are not virtuous, thus are not desirable ways of being:
Cynical
Don’t lose faith. Do give up hope. Don’t fall into the realm of hopelessness.
Critical
While it’s popular to talk about the important of “critical thinking”, I rather advocate for Compassionate Curiosity, the ability to look for what’s right, good, and leverage-able while remaining attentive to what’s wrong, suboptimal, or contrary to one’s values. The former creates feelings of defensiveness and shame, while Compassionate Curiosity creates feelings of safety and openness. In turn, this sets the stage for exploration, discovery, creation, and innovation.
Complicit
When injustices occur, don’t stand by passively. Doing so gives your permission for injustices to persist and propagate.