What Are These 8 True Traits?

In a future post, we'll talk through how we came up with these 8 True Traits, but to get started, let's talk about what they actually mean.

Respectful

Being Respectful means treating others the way you want to be treated. This includes using people’s names, looking them in the eyes, and saying “please” and “thank you.” It also means being a good partner—supporting and cheering for the people around you. Respect is shown by being polite, showing up on time, and raising your hand before speaking.

It's important to also respect yourself. Always use kind words when talking about yourself or your abilities.

Finally, you can respect those who came before you by recognizing the thought, effort, and work that they put into the domain you're learning.

Prepared

When you Respect the materials and the people with whom you interact, you desire to be Prepared.

Being Prepared means having everything ready and practicing what you will say and do. It’s more than memorizing a script or a specific move—it’s about planning ahead and being ready for what might happen next. They make sure their materials are set, they have practiced the skills, and they know what to say and do.

The difference between being nervous and being excited is Preparation. When opportunity meets unprepared, we feel anxious and nervous; when opportunity meets Prepared, we feel excited.

Enthusiastic

It's easy to be Enthusiastic when you've thoroughly Prepared.

Being Enthusiastic means showing positive energy that inspires others. Enthusiasm is contagious—others' excitement often begins with your own excitement. Enthusiasm is shown through your words, posture, tone, and “smiling with your eyes.” It’s not about being loud or wild—it’s about clear speech, good energy, and genuine joy.

When you show true Enthusiasm, you inspire others to care about what you care about. Enthusiasm turns ordinary moments into something memorable and transforms effort into joy. It shows people that what you’re doing matters—and that they matter, too.

Confident

The three keys to being Confident are being Respectful, Prepared, and Enthusiastic. Once you master those three traits, Confidence comes naturally.

Being Confident means standing tall, believing in yourself, and performing your skills without fear. Confidence helps you and those around you feel comfortable and engaged. Nervousness makes people uneasy, but Confidence builds trust and enjoyment.

True confidence is being secure enough to acknowledge others' successes. Confidence gives us the ability to be humble and admit we still have more to learn.

Someone who is Confident understands that it’s okay if not everyone likes them or if they’re still working to master a skill. True confidence comes from knowing you’ll keep improving and becoming your best self.

Humble

Confidence without Humility breeds arrogance, and humility without confidence yields debilitating doubt.

Being Humble means not remembering that there is always something more to learn, and often we can learn that from others. Someone who is Humble focuses more on other people and what they can learn than on themselves and what they can show. Humility includes being willing to learn from mentors, giving credit to those who came before, and practicing gratitude.

Humility is at the center of building empathy—acknowledging those before us, those around us, and those who will come after us.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.” — C.S. Lewis

Creative

When you are Respectful of the materials presented to you, Prepared by understanding what those materials are, Enthusiastic about your domain, Confident in your ability to learn, and Humble enough to make mistakes, Creativity will come easily.

Being Creative means using your imagination to make your domain your own. There are two kinds of creativity— (imagining, inventing, designing) and (building, following plans, executing). Both are valuable.

Even following a recipe, blueprint, or script still requires creativity—you’re bringing something into existence. Creativity also means persistence: pushing through rejection or failure.

Creativity often starts with copying what someone else is doing until you have a good grasp of the domain, and then transforming it little by little, and combining different materials to produce something new.

Authentic

Living the traits that come before this one will help you have Confidence to truly by yourself.

Being Authentic means being your best YOU—truthful, genuine, and unapologetically yourself. Authentic people don’t pretend to be someone or something else to impress others or to fit in. They embrace their uniqueness, admit mistakes, and stay real.

Authenticity also helps us feel truly loved and accepted. If we pretend to be something we’re not, we can never know if people love us for who we truly are.

“Sincere” literally means “without wax”—honest, unpolished, and real.

“The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”

— Walt Disney

Giving

All of the 8 True Traits lead us to Giving. Once you master those, Giving won't just come naturally, you'll be so excited to share with others the joy that you experience yourself.

Being Giving means sharing the things you know and do—and yourself—with others. Sharing who you are and what your know and do is magical. A Giving person uses their skills to make others happy and thinks about what others would enjoy or need (“What Others Want” – WOW). They are always looking for opportunities to help and support--to give of their time, their abilities, their resources.

Giving is done freely, generously, and sincerely—not for recognition or reward. It’s about creating moments of wonder for others, saying thank you, and spreading kindness.

It is when we give that we truly gain more than we ever thought possible.

Interested in Adding these to your curriculum? Explore our CARE8 Framework!

The CARE8 Framework: Getting Started

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