Glossary of Key Words

Admit:  To honestly acknowledge something is true, especially when you have made a mistake.

Accountable: Being responsible for your actions and willing to accept the results or consequences of them.

Apologies: Expressions of regret for something wrong you have done, offered sincerely to repair harm.

Behavior: The way a person acts or conducts themselves in different situations.

Blame: Holding someone responsible for a problem or wrongdoing.

Character: The collection of values, habits, and moral qualities that define who a person truly is.

Clarity: The quality of being clear, honest, and easy to understand.

Comfort: A state of ease or convenience that can sometimes tempt people to avoid difficult truths or responsibilities.

Compass: A guide that helps you determine direction. A moral compass helps you know the difference between right and wrong.

Confusion: A lack of understanding or clear thinking about a situation or issue.

Consequences: The results or outcomes that follow a decision or action.

Conviction: A strong belief that guides a person’s actions and decisions.

Cost: The price paid—sometimes in effort, sacrifice, or hardship—to achieve or maintain something worthwhile.

Courage: The strength to do what is right even when it is difficult, uncomfortable, or unpopular.

Crime: An action that breaks the law and harms others or society.

Culture: The shared beliefs, values, behaviors, and traditions of a group or society.

Defending: Attempting to justify or protect an action, belief, or person from criticism or blame.

Denial: Refusing to accept a truth or reality, even when evidence is clear.

Deny: To say something is not true or to refuse to admit it happened.

Difficulty: A challenge or hardship that requires effort to overcome.

Discipline: Self-control and the ability to do what must be done even when it is hard.

Disappoint: To fail to meet expectations or hopes.

Distract: To draw attention away from something important.

Entitlement: The belief that someone deserves special treatment or rewards without earning them.

Evidence: Facts or information that show whether something is true or false.

Excuses: Reasons offered to avoid responsibility for mistakes or poor decisions.

Expectations: Standards or beliefs about how people should behave or what should happen.

Fixing: Taking action to correct or repair something that is broken or wrong.

Focus: Directing attention and effort toward a specific goal or task.

Foundation: The solid base on which something is built, such as the moral principles of a society.

Freedom: The ability to live, speak, and act without unnecessary restriction—balanced by responsibility.

Freeing: The act of releasing someone or something from restriction, guilt, or limitation.

Grit: Perseverance and determination in the face of hardship.

Gratitude: A feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for what one has received.

Gray: A situation that is unclear or morally complicated rather than completely right or wrong.

Guilt: The feeling of responsibility or remorse for doing something wrong.

Hardship: A difficult experience or challenge that requires strength to endure.

Honesty: The practice of telling the truth and acting with integrity.

Innocent: Not guilty of wrongdoing.

Intent: The purpose or goal behind an action.

Justice: Fairness in the way people are treated, judged, and held accountable.

Learning: The process of gaining knowledge, understanding, or wisdom from experience.

Legacy: What a person leaves behind through their actions, values, and influence.

Lying: Deliberately saying something that is not true.

Maturity: The ability to think and behave in a responsible and thoughtful way.

Mistakes: Errors in judgment or action that provide opportunities to learn and improve.

Misunderstood: Incorrectly interpreted or not fully understood.

Moral: Relating to principles of right and wrong behavior.

Pain: Physical or emotional suffering that often accompanies growth or consequences.

Patience: The ability to wait calmly and persist through challenges without frustration.

Power: The ability to influence people, decisions, or events.

Principle: A fundamental truth or belief that guides behavior.

Reality: Things as they truly are, rather than how someone might wish them to be.

Rebuild: To restore or improve something that has been damaged or broken.

Rename: To change the name of something, sometimes in an attempt to soften or disguise its meaning.

Resentment: Bitterness or anger that develops from perceived unfairness or disappointment.

Respect: Treating others with dignity and recognizing their value.

Responsibility: The duty to manage your actions and accept the results of them.

Rules: Guidelines established to maintain order, fairness, and safety.

Serious: Something important enough to deserve careful thought and attention.

Shade: A place of partial darkness or concealment; metaphorically, an area where truth may be hidden.

Shake off: To deliberately discard something, such as excuses, fear, or doubt.

Short-term: Lasting only a brief period of time.

Silence: The absence of speaking, sometimes allowing wrongdoing to continue unchallenged.

Sow: To plant seeds that will grow later, often used to describe how actions lead to future results.

Standards: Accepted levels of behavior or quality that people are expected to follow.

Status: A person’s position or standing in society.

Stealing: Taking something that belongs to someone else without permission.

Step up: To accept responsibility and take action when it is needed.

Structure: An organized system that provides stability and order.

Teachers: People who guide others in gaining knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Temptation: The desire to do something that may be wrong or harmful.

Think: To use the mind to reason, consider, and make decisions.

Tool: Something used to accomplish a task; ideas and principles can also be tools for living wisely.

Treasure: Something of great value that should be protected and appreciated.

Trust: Confidence in someone’s honesty, reliability, or character.

Truth: What is real and factual, regardless of opinion or convenience.

Victimhood: A mindset that focuses on being wronged or powerless rather than seeking responsibility or solutions.

Violence: The use of physical force intended to harm or damage.

Wisdom: The ability to apply knowledge and experience to make good decisions.