11 secret virtues and underrated vices
Which one’s your stepping stone to success?
1. Hypocrisy Essentially it’s just the gap between what we think we should do and what we actually do. Put it this way: If you’ve never been guilty of it, you’re probably setting the bar of your moral aspirations awfully low.
2. Lying Very often it’s just the military wing of tact.
3. Wrath Used sparingly, venting remains the most effective antidote to people taking the piss. Also a great icebreaker at social functions.
4. Pride Loving what you do is great; being in love with what you do is a rainbow to greatness. You risk ridicule, but nothing really special was ever unveiled to the world with the words, “Will this do?”
5. Gambling Some controlled degree of risk-taking is vital to human progress. NASA didn’t reach the moon by twiddling their thumbs and waiting for the sure thing to drop in their lap.
6. Sloth An ugly term; we prefer ‘selective exertion’. The key concept with energy is direction, not quantity.
7. Lust It’s messy, it’s crazy and frequently brings Trouble to the party as its plus one. But it is the midwife of great art. After all, 50 cent doesn’t have civic duty on his mind when he hits the studio.
8. Failure It’s undoubtedly the fi nest teacher we are likely to have.
9. Backpedalling Traditionally seen as the prerogative of the ditherer and the weakling, but more often than not the appropriate response when a preconception is set on a fatal collision course with the real world.
10. Cowardice Forget Quixotic charging at the windmills. Because sometimes being brave also means looking the other way. Exhibit A: Not succumbing to road rage after your car has been hit by a bunch of drunks.
11. Swearing We’re not saying go the full Monty, but according to a University of East Anglia study, a bit of salty language at work helps develop and reinforce social relations between staff, allowing them to express their feelings and vent their frustrations
