How important is it to admit a mistake? What about if no one would ever know, would you still admit you have messed up?
A friend of mine recently told me the story of a young man who works in the race car industry. The boy had been promoted to a very important position on the pit crew of a race team and had the responsibility to make sure the right tires went on the car in the right location. It seems simple enough, but it is critical because of the high speeds that the drivers travel in the cars.
Well he did not have a lot of training in this, and during the very first race he inadvertently put the tires on the wrong side of the car. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it could have been tragic.
After the race, which the driver lost, the boy mentioned to his other crew members that he had made a mistake. Their encouragement was that no one would know, kind of like “no harm – no foul.”
He couldn’t keep that inside though. He went to the driver and admitted his mistake and apologized for costing the driver the race. His teammates thought he would be chewed out for sure, maybe even lose his job. The driver though, thanked him for his honesty. The driver knew he had learned through his mistake and that he would never make that mistake again. When your life rests in the hands of others, you want to know that they take their responsibility seriously.
I had a professor at Cal State Fullerton several years ago when I was getting my Master’s degree who used to say…
“People tend to do what they want to do.”
What he meant was that many times, people will have an excuse for not doing something, like I should exercise more, or I should eat better, when in reality it is truly because they don’t want to do those things. This particular professor challenged us to take responsibility for our actions and not make excuses.
When I first heard those words I had to really reflect on why I did or didn’t do certain things. I didn’t exercise because I chose not to set aside the time to do it. Instead of saying I didn’t have time to do something; I was actually choosing not to do it.
It made me think about what I want to be known as. The scholar, Aristotle, once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
If we want to be known as a person of honor, we need to act as an honorable person. If we want to be known as a respectful person, we need to show others respect in all situations. As Aristotle said, if you want to be a person that strives for excellence, then you need to have that approach in everything you do. What we tend to do, that defines our character.
Former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo said, “Every time I've done something that doesn't feel right, it's ended up not being right.” God has given each of us a conscience, and we would be better off at times if we listened to that inner voice and made our decisions accordingly.
The game was hyped in a number of different ways. Can Peyton Manning win the big game? Can an indoor stadium team (Indianapolis) beat a team that plays outdoors (Chicago)? Watch the first Super Bowl where both head coaches are African American. Can the student (Lovie Smith) beat his teacher (Tony Dungy)?
The most memorable part of the game, won by Indianapolis, happened before the game was actually played. In an ad placed in USA Today on the Friday before the game, Coach Dungy and Coach Smith declared their faith in Jesus Christ. A newspaper captured it like this.
“Dungy was up against his protégé and fellow believer Smith for the big win on Sunday. Both he and Smith had already made history going into the Super Bowl as the first African American head coaches.
Smith called the event a "perfect stage" for the coaches to confess their faith in Jesus Christ in a video shown at Saturday's breakfast. Both coaches appeared in a USA Today ad on Friday with a message (that) said, "We're pro football coaches, but we are also men of faith. A faith that defines who we are. It comforts us in tough times and produces hope in the midst of adversity. It is through our common faith in Jesus Christ that we have individually experienced God’s love and forgiveness."
When the game ended on Sunday, the two historic coaches hugged midfield. Dungy told his friend how proud he was of the whole moment, according to the Associated Press, and that he appreciates the type of person Smith is and what he has done in Chicago.”[1]
On the eve of the biggest stage of their career, they gave the glory to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They acknowledged that they found joy in Christ’s love and forgiveness. They knew the true victory was done for them when Jesus rose from the dead. Even though others wanted to make the moment about them, they acknowledged the One who gave them the moment.
Tony Dungy said that their worth was not from something that man had created. He said that he and Coach Smith were “men of faith” produced by, “a faith that defines who we are.” That is the same for you and me. Our faith in Jesus Christ is what defines our true character – who we are when no one is looking.
It has been said that the only things you can control are “attitude” and “effort.” The volleyball coach from Oregon State[1] said it this way, “You control both of these. No matter where you are in your skill development, physical conditioning and/or mental state your attitude and effort are factors that you alone can control.” Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, said “"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." [2]
We all know people that have had a “hard” life. If something bad is going to happen, it seems like it is going to happen to them. I have known people like that, and if they dwell on what they don’t have it is really a downer, for them and for you.
A friend told me a long time ago that life is like a card game. The deck of cards is all the possibilities that can happen in life and we are all dealt a hand to play. Some of our cards are great and easy to play, but others are more difficult. The only rule to the game is we need to play our own hands.
The thing I have learned over the years is that everyone has some poor cards in their hands. For some people though, you would never know it because of their attitude. They choose to bring a positive attitude to everything they do. These are the people you want to be around. These are the people that make others around them better. These are the people that praise God for every moment.
Zig Ziglar, a famous motivational speaker warned against hanging around people with bad attitudes when he said, “"Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people." [3]
