Most people, if asked what they want out of life, or what they want for their children, would probably say “to be happy” or “to be successful.” But what does being happy or successful entail?

Matthew Kelly, an internationally acclaimed speaker, bestselling author, and business consultant, has an answer to that question. He believes that the key to happiness and success is virtue.

Virtue is not something we are born with, it is something we work hard to acquire. And if we are a parent, we should work tirelessly to develop virtue in our children. It’s a job that never ends -- and when raising teenagers, the push back can be exhausting. But it’s a job we should be working on every single day of our children’s lives.

A person with virtue has a good and moral character. He or she acts out of principles and values rather than bending to impulses or desires. A list of virtues may include honesty, courage, respect, kindness, humility and self-control.

How do these characteristics lead to happiness? It’s really quite simple: life is about relationships, and when we have good relationships -- in our families, with our friends, with our colleagues – we are happy. The same holds true for our children. As Matthew Kelly says, “At the heart of a relationship we find one immutable and universal truth: two virtuous people will always have a better relationship than two who lack virtue.

Listen to Matthew Kelly make his case:

Convinced yet? If so, pick a virtue that you want to strengthen, or that you want to strengthen in your kids, and then find at least one opportunity everyday to put that virtue into practice.