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The ultimate goal of a pro athlete is to be recognized by their peers and the world as being one of the best in their sport’s history, forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame. They spend their entire athletic career training, practicing, competing, and fighting with a drive and determination that sets them apart…and in the end when their journey is over their name is remembered, recognized, and honored above all others. Those who don’t make it to this pinnacle become forgotten…their names and faces blending into the background with all others that fell short.
Everyone has a personal Hall of Fame…that place in the depths of one’s heart and mind reserved for the most special people who influenced their life…the best of the best…those forever enshrined on the walls of their Hall of Fame!
I say all that to say this and ask you: Whose Hall of Fame will you be in? When your journey is over will you be on the wall of your children’s Hall of Fame? How about your spouse’s Hall of Fame? Your parent’s, grandparent’s, brother’s, or sister’s Hall? How about your co-workers, boss, friends, or anyone around you? Believe it or not, you can be in the Hall of Fame of, not just the most important people in your life, but everyone you come in contact with.
…And how do you get there? If I could be so bold and humble as to say that you get there by seeking truth, clinging to honesty, striving for integrity…being slow to anger, always being patient and kind…quick to love, not for what you get in return, but because it’s who you are…quick to forgive and even quicker to ask for forgiveness…by putting others in front of yourself…by taking joy in giving rather than taking…by having character, morals, and values, not just in what we consider big things, but even the simple things like saying “please” and “thank you” or holding the door open for those to walk in front of you…for having an understanding that when someone does something to hurt you or anger you that they could very well be dealing with something painful in their life that you don’t know about, so give them the benefit of the doubt…by being the one that can be counted on to “never let go” no matter how hard it is to hold on to them when they can no longer hold themselves up from falling. I promise you, if you do these things, you will build a legacy…you will be remembered… you will be honored…you will never be forgotten…and you will find yourself forever embedded on the walls of the Hall of Fame of everyone you come in contact with.
At the end of your journey there are only two possible roads your life will lead to 1.) A life that made a difference that lasts for generation after generation…long after you are gone or 2.) A life where your name will quickly be forever forgotten, blending in with all others who fell short.
So…I ask you once again, Whose Hall of Fame will you be in?
Have Character!
J. Noah Russell
HAVE CHARACTER™
