Standing on a Firm Foundation
When I speak in public, one of my favorite things to do is illustrate the importance of standing on a firm foundation. How I do it? I choose a random person from the crowd, give him or her a football, and say “Now, go ahead and stand on it.”
Puzzled, the person always looks at me and says something of the sort, “You can’t stand on a football.”
This is correct. You cannot stand on a football. Similarly, if I stacked up $100 bills that total $1 million in cash, you cannot stand on that either. You also cannot stand on your trophies, your plaques, your medals, your fame, or your fortune.
I have seen too often in my professional and coaching life the destruction from the lack of a firm foundation.
Our social and political climate is intoxicating. Our access to information, people, and cheap satisfaction distorts our reality. Our role models and leaders perform theatrics in short scenes for money and fame – and our society has wholly adopted these trends as “progress” or “action.”
I find myself confused. What happened to the value of being genuine? Where are our leaders that represent what we believe? Do we know, or have we forgotten, that the only thing this world cannot take from you is your character?
In the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 48 says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who was been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
To live in this Country, to have people we call friends and mentors, to have family, to be healthy, to know right from wrong, to see a new day – these are immeasurable blessings. Be you a faithful man or not, our blessings are coupled with the duty to share wisdom and knowledge on an honest and consistent basis.
Throughout our lives, especially in the climate we find ourselves in now, it is of the utmost importance to know what we believe, portray our beliefs, and uphold our duty to stand firm in our beliefs.
Just as it’s physically impossible to stand on a football, fame, fortune, accolades, plaques, or the like, it is impossible to do so in your life as well.
Fame is fleeting, accolades are forgotten, money comes and goes – but a proper foundation will remain forever.
If we are firm, we can pass along an honest, committed, respectful, and civil society with integrity and a heart for service.