Long ago, a woodsman saved a leprechaun’s life and was given one wish. The woodsman thought for a long time and finally wished that each of his three daughters find a good husband.

But the leprechaun was full of games. “How am I to know what’s good in your mind? I’ll give them husbands, but you can name only one quality and it’s got to be the same for all. What’ll you have? I can make them clever, strong, handsome, rich, you name it.”

“Give me men of good character,” the woodsman said.

The leprechaun wasn’t done playing. “How am I to know what good character is?”

“Do you have daughters?” asked the woodsman.

“I do,” said the leprechaun.

“Do you love them?”

“More than life itself.”

“Then give my girls the kind of men you want for your children.”

“Ah,” the leprechaun beamed, “then they’ll have honorable men with kind and loving hearts! And I’ll throw in a strong conscience, too.”

The woodsman was a shrewd man and a good father. He knew his children’s well-being and happiness depended on the quality of their relationships. And the quality of their relationships depended on the quality of the people they were with.

What if the woodsman had been asked what one quality he would want in his own daughters? As a wise father, he again would have asked for good character. Whether it’s in one’s spouse or oneself, cleverness, good looks, and money are nice, but in the end the most essential quality of a good life is good character.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.