5 Little Things People With A Strong Moral Compass Simply Don’t Do
Yan Krukau | Canva If success isn’t falling in your lap, don’t give up hope (seriously: pessimism impairs job performance). But it may be time to prioritize an underrated personality trait: a strong moral compass. Conscientious people with a strong moral compass live longer, get better grades, commit fewer crimes, earn more (along with their spouses), have a stronger influence, are more likely to lead companies that succeed long-term, are happier at work, and have better marriages.
Convinced by the benefits of having a strong moral compass, I set out to master it. One of my New Year’s resolutions was “finishing, details, polish.” In my research, however, I found that conscientiousness is far more than fastidiousness. In fact, acting “Type A” only has a weak correlation with conscientiousness. In the broadest sense, conscientious people with a strong moral compass have a knack for avoiding behaviors that will damage their long-term happiness and success.
Here are 5 little things people with a strong moral compass simply don’t do:
1. Buy stuff on a whim
Conscientious people with a strong moral compass anticipate what they need and the future consequences of what they buy. (It’s called a budget.) Research indicated conscientious people are less likely to exceed their credit limit, miss a bill payment, or cheat on their taxes. They’re also less likely to make an unplanned purchase under time pressure or be convinced to buy something based on promotions or sales tactics.
Next time you’re tempted toward an impulsive purchase, raise the stakes on yourself. Ask, “Do I want to earn more, have better relationships, and live longer?” If “yes,” take a week to think about it.
Conscientious people know they won’t remember. So they plan, decide, and draft on paper. They write down important dates. Highly successful people, like Richard Branson, carry a notebook in their pockets at all times. Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis told Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse, “Writing it down will make you act upon it. If you don’t write it down, you will forget it. That is a million-dollar lesson they don’t teach you in business school!”
Next time you think “Ooh, I want to remember that,” don’t trust yourself. Write it down anywhere. Once, when Richard Branson didn’t have his notepad with him, he wrote an idea down in his passport!
2. Slouch
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As long as they're physically able, people with a strong moral compass stand up straight. Their posture is a reflection of their attitude: they care about others’ perceptions of them, want to do things the right way, and have high self-esteem. Because conscientious people do good work, they report high self-efficacy, which is, in turn, positively correlated with work performance.
How are you showing up in your day-to-day life? Literally. How do you show up to work? To dinner? To your workouts? Research consistently shows that how you act influences how you feel. Bad posture, for example, can make you stressed, sad, and afraid. Is that how you want to approach your life?
3. Break promises
People with a strong moral compass are dependable. They’re much less likely than others to back out of, miss, or forget appointments. They rarely show up late. Conscientious people know that succumbing to convenience kills long-term goals; that good things take time and hard work. Perhaps this is why conscientiousness is linked to honesty and integrity.
Not breaking promises requires fully understanding what you’re able to commit to. Next time you’re tempted to say “yes” to something, ask yourself, “Am I certain I’ll be able to keep this promise?” Framing even a small “yeah, sure” as a promise can help you internalize its weight, uphold your commitments, and build trust in your relationships.
4. Quit when things get hard
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People with a strong moral compass people have grit. They’re more likely to continue solving a problem even after failing and work extra hard to make sure stuff is done right. Conscientious people may not execute better than anyone else, but they keep executing better than anyone else.
University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth found that a strong combination of passion and perseverance is, in fact, more important to children’s scholarly success than IQ. Duckworth believes there are four components of grit that all of us can cultivate: interest in the subject matter, a desire to understand, the capacity to deliver consistent practice, making something a daily habit, purpose, a conviction that what you do every day is meaningful and beneficial to other people, and hope.
5. Ignore problems
People with a strong moral compass pick up after their dog's poop. Research helped explain how they display high levels of autonomy and perceived internal locus of control; in other words, they take responsibility for what goes wrong in work and life and fix it. Unsurprisingly, those with an internal locus of control report higher levels of life satisfaction and perform better at work.
Conscientious people pay attention so well that they often anticipate problems before they arise: “By being conscientious, people sidestep stress they’d otherwise create for themselves,” Drake Baer writes for Inc. If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of your life realizing, “[xyz] is kind of an issue. This is a small problem. I should probably deal with this.”
Problems don’t solve themselves. Small things become bigger things. Save yourself the headaches by scheduling time in your calendar every week to deal with the little stuff.
After all my research on people with a strong moral compass, I can sum them up in five words: they know they’re not invincible. For people struggling to adapt to the real world, as I did, embodying this personality trait could be the key to a successful, happy adulthood.
It doesn’t have to be a radical transition. I started small; I now make my bed every morning, pick up after myself, and collect home office expense receipts for my taxes. And it’s not too late to change: Research shows that conscientiousness continues to develop even into old age. If you’re waiting for your cue, this was it.
Caroline Beaton is a freelance journalist covering health, modern psychology, and culture.
